Trump may cancel Freedom 250 concerts to give speech after artists pull out
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he was considering cancelling a planned series of concerts on Washington’s National Mall commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary after a string of artists withdrew from the event, and replacing them with a speech and political-style rally instead.
The concerts were planned as part of the larger Great American State Fair, a 16-day event running from June 25 to July 10, 2026.
Organisers said the fair, organised by the Freedom 250 group, would stretch on the National Mall from the US Capitol to the Washington Monument, with concert stages, state pavilions, exhibits, rides and other attractions spread across the Mall.
But the musical line-up has been hit by a series of cancellations. On Friday, Bret Michaels, the lead singer of the rock band Poison, became the fifth performer to withdraw from the concerts, saying that the event was not the non-partisan celebration that he thought it would be.
Organisers have not publicly detailed the reasons for the departures, though the exits have raised questions about the viability of the event as originally envisioned.
In a social media post on Saturday, Trump suggested the concert series may no longer be necessary if performers continue to back out.