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President Donald Trump on Saturday called for the cancellation of the Freedom 250 concert series after several performers withdrew from the celebration tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary.
In a Truth Social post Saturday night, the president said the concert lineup should be replaced with a “giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY” and criticized performers who exited the event.
“We should have a giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY, for 250, instead of having overpriced singers, who nobody wants to hear, whose music is boring, and yet who do nothing but complain,” President Trump wrote. “Cancel it.”
The Freedom 250 concert series is scheduled to take place June 25 through July 10 on the National Mall as part of the broader Great American State Fair celebration.
The event has faced turmoil after six of the nine announced acts reportedly withdrew within two days of the lineup announcement. Among those leaving the event were Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, Young MC, The Commodores, Morris Day and the Time and Milli Vanilli.
Several performers reportedly said they believed the event had initially been presented as nonpartisan. Remaining scheduled acts include C+C Music Factory, Vanilla Ice and Flo Rida.
President Trump’s criticism came hours after he floated the idea of personally headlining the opening ceremony and compared his crowd appeal to that of Elvis Presley.
The president also connected the controversy to a recent court ruling involving the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He criticized U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper after the judge ruled Friday that President Trump’s name must be removed from the Kennedy Center and blocked a planned closure tied to renovation efforts.
He called Cooper a “Highly Conflicted, Crooked Federal Judge” and argued the Kennedy Center would “collapse, both structurally and financially.”
The judge’s ruling stated that authority over naming decisions at the Kennedy Center rests with Congress.
Despite Trump’s comments, Freedom 250 organizers said the celebration will continue as planned. Spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said Trump is expected to open the festival on June 24, while spokesperson Rachel Reisner said organizers remain committed to hosting the National Mall events and are open to adding replacement performers.
