President Donald Trump said Saturday that he is considering replacing several performers who withdrew from a Freedom 250 event in Washington with himself. In a Truth Social post he said he’s ordering representatives to examine the feasibility of holding an “AMERICA IS BACK” rally on Wednesday.
Straight Arrow reached out to the White House and is awaiting a response to clarify which “Wednesday” the president is referring to.
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The proposal follows a wave of artist withdrawals from the Great American State Fair. The 16-day event on the National Mall is tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.
In the message, Trump said some artists were getting “the yips” about appearing on Wednesday. He suggested that he, rather than what he called “highly paid, Third Rate ‘Artists,’” could take their place to give a speech.
Several performers had already backed out after the event’s lineup was announced, saying they had concerns about the festival’s political ties or that the event was not presented to them that way when they agreed to participate.
Among those no longer slated to appear are Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, The Commodores, Morris Day and The Time and Young MC. Other performers, including Vanilla Ice and Flo Rida, remained on the schedule in earlier reports.
Freedom 250 has described the fair as a nonpartisan celebration bringing together all U.S. states and territories for the country’s 250th birthday. The organization’s chief executive, Keith Krach, has said the goal is to celebrate the nation and draw participants from across the country.
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