Various artists, including Martina McBride, have pulled out from the Freedom250 concert after apparently realising that the event had affiliations with Donald Trump. The Great American State Fair is a 16-day celebration of the U.S., celebrating its 250th birthday. The event will take place at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and will run from June 25 to July 10, 2026.

Last week, Freedo250, the organization responsible for the event, unveiled a slew of artists set to perform at the event. According to the BBC, the group itself was launched by Donald Trump, and its CEO was appointed by the President as well. According to Freedom250, the event was supposed to “unite Americans around the nation’s 250th anniversary.” However, after learning the political nature of the event, various artists have backed out, claiming that they weren’t told about the “political affiliations.”

As of writing, Martina McBride, Milli Vanilli, Young MC, Vanilla Ice, Morris Day, the Commodores and Poison frontman Bret Michaels have all officially stated that they will not be attending the event. Morris Day was the first artist to back out of the event. “Contrary To Rumor, Morris Day & The Time Will Not Be Performing At The ‘GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR,'” an Instagram post made by the artist read, with the caption “It’s A No For Me.”

Donald Trump called for “cancelling” the artists’ event, claiming that he had canceled his “involvement with the failing and unsafe to be in the Kennedy Center.” “We should have a giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY, for 250, instead of having overpriced singers, who nobody wants to hear, whose music is boring, and yet who do nothing but complain,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. That said, despite the president’s claim, it wasn’t really his decision to back out of putting his name on the title of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

“Today’s ruling rightly affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in law,” Ohio Congresswoman Joyce Beatty said in a statement. “The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump. He has desecrated this sacred memorial for his own vanity. I am proud to have fought for the rule of law and to protect this sacred institution.” The decision came after various artists backed out of the event.

Young MC backed out as well, citing the “Trump-backed” event as the reason. “I HAVE INFORMED MY AGENTS THAT I WILL NOT BE PERFORMING AT THE FREEDOM 250 EVENT,” the artist wrote on his Instagram and Facebook accounts. “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.”