A wave of artists has withdrawn from a Trump-linked concert series just days after its lineup was made public, with several performers saying they were never told the event had any political affiliation. The controversy centres on 'The Great American State Fair,' a 16-day festival scheduled to run from 25 June to 10 July on Washington's National Mall, organised by Freedom 250 to mark the United States' 250th anniversary.
Freedom 250 is tied directly to an executive order signed by Trump on 29 January 2025, which created the White House Task Force on Celebrating America's 250th Birthday. The group is led by CEO Keith Krach, a former under secretary of state during Trump's first term. The organisation is separate from the bipartisan America250 commission established by Congress in 2016.