Trump cancels Great American State Fair concerts after artists drop out. Here’s what they said about it and what will happen instead.

After most of the announced artists pulled out of the upcoming Great American State Fair, the centerpiece of the Trump administration’s planned celebrations for the country’s 250th birthday, President Trump on Thursday announced that the concerts would be replaced with “the Greatest Rally, Ever!” on June 24.

“We don’t want singers with no talent, but big fees to put you to sleep, we’ve told them all to stay home,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “All we want is you, me, a few speakers, and the Greatest Music ever played, the same Music you have listened to for years!”

Trump will be introduced at the rally by ’80s country star Lee Greenwood, who will perform his song “God Bless the USA” — “one of the Greatest Hits of All Time,” Trump said. Opera singer Christopher Macchio will also perform along with several military bands.

Before Trump’s announcement, nearly all the announced musicians had canceled their appearances. On Tuesday, Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan became the latest to withdraw from the concert series, describing the event as a “circus.”

“I’m not into politics, so you hear it first here: I’m not attending the June 26 celebration,” he told celebrity.land.

As the number of performers dwindled, Freedom 250, a group established by the Trump administration to organize anniversary events, confirmed that the president would headline the fair’s opening ceremony.

According to organizers, the two-week fair on the National Mall, which begins June 25, will “bring together all 56 U.S. states and territories in a World Fair-style celebration,” featuring “live entertainment, immersive exhibits, patriotic tributes, innovation showcases, cultural programming, and family-friendly attractions.” Each day throughout the fair will have its own theme, including “Heritage & Legacy,” “Horsepower of America” and “MAHA Monday.”

Last week, Freedom 250 unveiled the “first wave” of performers, including country singer McBride; rappers Vanilla Ice, Young MC and Flo Rida; legendary funk and soul band the Commodores; R&B singer Morris Day; ’90s hitmakers Michaels and C+C Music Factory; and the pop duo Milli Vanilli.

Here is what each artist has said.

Martina McBride

“I would like to talk to you and clear the air,” McBride said in a lengthy statement posted to social media on May 28, the day after she was announced as performer. “I will not be performing at the Great American State Fair on June 25th. I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading.

“I asked lots of questions and was assured this was a nonpartisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states,” she explained. “Yesterday things started changing and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening.”

Bret Michaels

Michaels, the former lead singer of rock band Poison, posted a similar message on Instagram.

“When this opportunity was originally presented to my team, it was described as a celebration of country through music and a chance to honor our veterans, active military, first responders, teachers and hardworking Americans from all walks of life,” Michaels wrote. “Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of. “

“Concerns have also been raised regarding the safety of my fans, band, crew, family and myself, including threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable,” Michaels continued. “Because of that, I have made the difficult decision to step away from this performance.

“This isn’t about politics,” he added. “But as a father, friend and bandmate, I have to take threats and safety concerns seriously.”

Young MC

The rapper, best known for his 1989 hit “Bust a Move,” said he was pulling out after learning that the event was “Trump-backed.”

“I HAVE INFORMED MY AGENTS THAT I WILL NOT BE PERFORMING AT THE FREEDOM 250 EVENT,” he posted on Facebook. “The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event.”

Young MC, whose real name is Marvin Young, added that he hoped to perform in Washington, D.C., “in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged.”

The Commodores

The legendary funk and soul band announced it would not perform in a brief post on X.

“Our music has always been our voice and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party,” the group said. “We support the betterment of all Americans.”

Morris Day and the Time

The R&B singer said on social media that, “contrary to rumor,” he and his band would not be performing, but did not give a reason.

Milli Vanilli

Singer Jodie Rocco, who — along with her twin sister Linda Rocco — was one of the original studio vocalists behind Milli Vanilli, told the Associated Press that neither she nor any other member of the group had been asked to perform.

“My sister and I were shocked to see our name, ‘Milli Vanilli,’ as one of the performers,” Rocco told the outlet.

In a subsequent press release, the singers confirmed that they would not be performing, and that anyone using the name Milli Vanilli on the bill “should be considered a tribute band.”

Milli Vanilli won a Grammy Award in 1990, but it was rescinded after it was revealed that the duo, Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, were only lip-syncing. Pilatus died in 1998 of an accidental drug overdose, leaving Morvan as the lone surviving frontman.

Morvan originally said in a statement last week that he would be performing at the fair. However, he subsequently confirmed that he would not be appearing, telling celebrity.land that he started having concerns after hearing that Young MC had pulled out.

“I was like, ‘Well, that’s weird … what does he know that I don’t know?’ I was a little worried there,” Morvan said. “And then, one after the next, people started to leave.'”

He added: “Throughout the week, it turned into a circus … this is not what I stand for.”

C+C Music Factory

Freedom Williams, the lone remaining original member of C+C Music Factory, posted a lengthy, expletive-filled video to Instagram that left his willingness to participate unclear.

“The day I let you motherf***ers tell me what to do is the day I die,” Williams said in the video, which appeared to have been filmed while sitting on a toilet.

Vanilla Ice

In a video posted to TikTok from a residential construction site last week, the “Ice Ice Baby” singer said he was “super honored to do this concert with everybody.”

On Thursday, he told Fox News that he wasn’t sure if he would still be involved. “I hope so,” he said. “I don’t even know. I’m here marinating. But I’m honored to even be invited for this.”

He later said that he would attend “no matter what.”

Flo Rida

The “Low” singer has not formally commented on his participation in the event, but he has responded to Instagram commenters questioning his involvement with laughing emojis.

What is Freedom 250?

Two weeks into his second term, President Trump signed an executive order establishing the White House Task Force on Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday.

Since then, there has been a flurry of announcements detailing events that will take place throughout the year to honor the occasion, including the Great American State Fair, a high-speed IndyCar race that will pass by the White House and a UFC mixed martial arts fighting event on the South Lawn.

In December, the Trump administration announced Freedom 250, a “national, non-partisan” group that would help plan the events surrounding the country’s anniversary.

Julia Friedland, a spokesperson for Freedom 250, pushed back against claims by the artists that the fair would be partisan.

“It is inherently nonpolitical. It is a celebration of our country,” Friedland said in an interview with The Hill. “I don’t think there’s anything partisan about America being around for 250 years.”