A number of artists refused to perform at the festival dedicated to the 250th anniversary of US. Trump offered to replace them with himself

After several singers refused to participate in a festival dedicated to the 250th anniversary of US independence, President Donald Trump said he would replace them with himself.

Reuters and Associated Press write about this.

The event, called "The Great American State Fair", is scheduled for June 25 — July 10. The festival will stretch along the National Mall from the US Capitol to the Washington Monument, and concert stages, exhibitions, and attractions will be located throughout the mall.

The event was scheduled to feature well-known musicians, but several of them withdrew due to the organizersʼ ties to Trump. The festival is organized by the Freedom250 group, which was founded by the US president last year.

Freedom250 positions itself as a nonpartisan organization, but it is headed by a former State Department employee from Trumpʼs first presidency.

Among those who have publicly announced their withdrawal are the bands The Commodores, singer Martina McBride, Morris Day and his band The Time, Poison frontman Bret Michaels and rapper Young MC. The artists said they had been misled about the theme of the concerts and that they did not want to be drawn into a political fight.

After that, Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social that he could replace these “third-rate” artists and give a speech at the festival himself “that will unite the country”. He suggested holding an “America Is Back” rally with himself as the main event of the evening instead of concerts.

"I understand Artists are getting ʼthe yipsʼ having to do with their performance on Wednesday, so I am thinking about bringing the Number One Attraction anywhere in the World, the man who gets much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime, and he does so without a guitar, the man who loves our Country more than anyone else, and the man who some say is the Greatest President in History (THE GOAT!), DONALD J. TRUMP," the US president wrote.

He added that he doesnʼt want to see "so-called entertainers who are paid too much money", but wants to be "surrounded only by happy, smart, successful people who know how to win".

Following his statement, Freedom250 told reporters that Trump would indeed lead the fairʼs opening ceremony on Wednesday, June 24.

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