The fiasco that is being billed as a Great American State Fair to mark America’s 250th birthday has many calling on President Donald Trump to “rescue” the imploding event.
Within hours of announcing the artist lineup set to perform in Washington, D.C., the bipartisan Freedom 250 was faced with several named participants pulling out of the festivities. Country singer Martina McBride, The Commodores, Young MC, Morris Day of Morris Day and The Time, as well as Poison frontman Bret Michaels, all announced they would not be part of the nation’s birthday bash, despite having been billed on the initial lineup.
“I don’t know if the people running this are deliberately sabotaging the whole thing or if they are just incompetent, but what is happening is a national embarrassment,” The Federalist’s Sean Davis wrote in a post on X, echoing the sentiment of many others.
I don’t know if the people running this are deliberately sabotaging the whole thing or if they are just incompetent, but what is happening is a national embarrassment.
Organizers are refusing to pay people, announcing acts that were never actually booked, and crapping the bed… https://t.co/T9UZT7r9BT
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) May 29, 2026
“Organizers are refusing to pay people, announcing acts that were never actually booked, and crapping the bed across the board in ways I wouldn’t believe if I hadn’t heard it directly from eyewitnesses,” Davis wrote before appealing to the president.
“President Trump, please take this thing over, rescue it, and make it the greatest, grandest, most patriotic event our nation has ever seen! America deserves the best for its 250th, and it is not getting it right now,” he added.
McBride posted that initial claims about the event being nonpartisan were “misleading,” prompting more calls for Trump’s intervention.
“I asked lots of questions and was assured this was a nonpartisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states,” she wrote Thursday. “Yesterday things started changing and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening.”
Trump should fire everyone in charge of the America 250 events and bring in Turning Point, who know how to put on a patriotic concert without hemorrhaging performers https://t.co/0sX1Dxiu1I
— Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) May 29, 2026
“What a mess,” lamented political commentator and podcast host Matt Walsh.
“They invited a bunch of washed up has-beens, and now even the washed up has-beens are bailing on them. Yet another reason why the right wing ‘get literally any famous person we can’ approach is retarded,” he observed.
What a mess. They invited a bunch of washed up has-beens, and now even the washed up has-beens are bailing on them. Yet another reason why the right wing “get literally any famous person we can” approach is retarded. https://t.co/PSbQI3Qoux
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) May 29, 2026
There was plenty of agreement on X, where one user added a lighthearted take on the unfolding mess.
Marco Rubio realizing he has to become a popstar to perform at the nation’s 250th. pic.twitter.com/JrJGeE1d6g
— Jackie Chea ⚖️ (@Fair_and_Biased) May 29, 2026
Something is wrong – it seems like the “nonpartisan” committee running things is sabotaging the events purposefully on the pretext that the public will assume it is President Trump’s team coordinating this disaster 250 committee. We need @realDonaldTrump @SusieWiles47 ASAP!
— Jake (@jakesgotthis) May 29, 2026
Whoever selected these has been artists should be FIRED!! The best thing that can happen is none of them agree to perform and start over with some relevant artists!
— Melissa Barfield (@Peachy_One1) May 29, 2026
Have Ted Nugent organize it. The most unapologetic patriotic American in the business.
Whoever picked the existing lineup was either intentionally sabotaging the event or is an utter moron.
— Samuel Culper 722 (@politiwars) May 29, 2026
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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