Some states pull out of Trump’s ‘Great American State Fair’

Key Points:

• At least five states led by Democratic governors—Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Oregon—have withdrawn from participating in the Great American State Fair, citing budget constraints and concerns over partisanship.
• The fair, scheduled to begin June 25 on the National Mall, is part of the country’s 250th birthday celebrations but has become increasingly fragmented and partisan under President Trump’s influence.
• Freedom 250, the nonprofit sponsoring the event and affiliated with the National Park Foundation, insists all states and territories will be represented despite some official state agency withdrawals.
• Critics have raised concerns about Freedom 250’s transparency and its promotion of access to Trump for large donors, contrasting with the bipartisan America 250 commission established by Congress in 2016.
• The fair will feature state foods, military demonstrations, and a Ferris wheel, but several musical acts withdrew upon learning of the Trump administration’s involvement, leading Trump to schedule a rally instead.