As stars snub concert, Trump says he will headline Freedom 250 event
Wary of seeming partisan, musicians pulled out of the lineup in recent days. Trump says his role as the new headliner - 'the man who gets much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime' - will help.
Zachary SchermeleWASHINGTON – After prominent artists pulled out of a series of planned concerts on the National Mall celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary, President Donald Trump nixed the musical performances and now plans to give a speech himself instead, according to a White House official.
In a social media post on May 30, the president criticized the musicians, whom he did not name specifically, for getting what he called "the yips." He appeared to be referencing the collapsing lineup of superstars for the Great American State Fair, a 16-day event organized by the president's nonprofit, Freedom 250.
Country star Martina McBride and R&B group The Commodores were among the latest cancellations for the concert, which is slated to run June 25 through July 10. Both said they were initially under the impression the event would be entirely nonpartisan.
"That turned out to be misleading," McBride said in a statement.
Amid the mounting cancellations, Trump said he was thinking about organizing what he characterized in his post as an "AMERICA IS BACK Rally." His headlining speech is being planned for June 24.
"I don't want so-called 'Artists' that get paid far too much money, who aren't happy," Trump wrote online.
He also said the change in line-up may be for the best, since he is “the Number One Attraction anywhere in the World” and “the man who gets much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime,”
(This story has been updated with additional information.)
Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.