Why States Are Refusing to Join Trump's Great American State Fair
A growing number of states are declining to send official delegations to President Donald Trump’s “Great American State Fair,” a centerpiece of celebrations marking the United States’ 250th anniversary.At least 10 states—Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Pennsylvania—have confirmed they will not officially participate.The decisions, which come as the event has opened on the National Mall, have exposed political and logistical tensions surrounding what organizers had billed as a unifying national showcase.A Growing List of Opt-Out StatesThe 16-day "Great American State Fair" kicked off on June 25 across the National Mall and will run through July 10, promising to bring state-themed pavilions, movie screenings, musical performances, military flyovers and even a daily rodeo. The fair is being organized by Freedom 250, the Trump-aligned nonprofit behind several semi quincentennial events.But as the event beings, officials from the group of states declining to participate, which are majority Democratic-led states, have pointed to a mix of practical concerns and unease about the event’s framing.Several states, including Massachusetts, North Carolina, Illinois and Connecticut, cited budget pressures or competing priorities, while Maine officials pointed to scheduling constraints during a busy summer season.Rhode Island declined involvement citing that "staff are also supporting many other 250-related events across the state at the same time as the State Fair." Similarly, Vermont has declined to participate, instead focusing on local celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary, making it the only Republican-governed state to decline involvement so far.In Oregon, officials went further. In a statement to KATU News, Gov. Tina Kotek's office said Oregon withdrew because of "the cost of participating in the Fair and growing concerns that the event in Washington, D.C. is shaping up to be a more partisan affair than originally presented."Newsweek reached out to the Oregon governor’s office via email for comment.All but one of the states that have opted out are led by Democratic governors, a detail that has added to the perception of a partisan divide around the event, even as organizers insist it is nonpartisan. Despite the refusals, organizers have said every state will still be represented in some form, whether through tourism boards, companies or cultural groups, rather than official state government participation.Newsweek reached out to Freedom250 via email for comment.Pennsylvania Adds to the TrendPennsylvania—a key historical state in the nation’s founding—is the latest to become part of the broader non-participation trend, drawing attention given its symbolic role in any semi quincentennial celebration.“This president routinely makes patriotism partisan and personal—and it shouldn’t be that way,” Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said in an interview with the New Republic.Newsweek reached out to the Pennsylvania governor’s office via email for comment.Artists Drop OutThe state-level pullback comes alongside a separate controversy involving the event’s entertainment lineup.Several high-profile performers—including Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, Young MC, Morris Day & The Time and The Commodores—withdrew from the event shortly after being announced.In some cases, artists said they had initially agreed to perform under the impression the event would be nonpartisan, before later distancing themselves.In a statement online, McBride wrote: “I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading.”Young MC shared a similar social post, writing: “I have informed my agents that I will not be performing at the Freedom 250 event. The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event. And despite the claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, SPIN magazine describes it as Trump-backed. I hope to perform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged.”Wider reporting indicates that a majority of the original lineup dropped out within days, compounding the challenges facing organizers in the run-up to the fair.The opening concert on June 24 was ultimately replaced with a more rally-style event headlined by President Donald Trump with music from the United States Marine Band. During the opening, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy began his speech by saying: “Round of applause for our military band and singers, way better than those libtards that canceled on us.”Exhibit Setups Vary Across the FairOrganizers have said the fair would feature exhibits representing all 50 states and U.S. territories, designed as a nationwide showcase of culture, tourism and industry.As the state fair opened earlier this week, some appear to reflect that ambition. Certain states have created large and fully developed installations, including branded structures and, in some cases, interactive elements such as digital or augmented reality displays.However, the scale and content of exhibits varies significantly. Images shared by journalists on site show that set-ups for states including Maine and Connecticut included little more than two chairs and signage....Similar pictures of emptier exhibits for states like Hawaii and Alaska have emerged since the opening with set ups involving simple chairs and even just a small table in one case.It is unclear whether the variation in exhibit scale is linked to state’s decisions not to send official delegations, though some states with smaller set-ups like Hawaii and Alaska have not publicly suggested they won't send delegations.Organizers have said all states will still be represented in some form, though the consistency and scope of that representation appears to differ across the site.A separate online flashpoint has also emerged around the event’s opening ceremony, after a viral video appeared to show attendees leaving midway through Trump’s speech on the National Mall. Clips shared widely shared on X and viewed hundreds of thousands of times, shows a steady flow of people moving away from the stage area during the June 24 address, prompting debate over crowd engagement and turnout.Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Emma Lee-Sang.Update 06/26/26 06:40 a.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.
