Donald Trump's big birthday bash is losing its lineup fast.
Within hours of Freedom 250 announcing the musical roster for its Great American State Fair — a 16-day festival set to run June 25 through July 10 on the National Mall — the event began falling apart. Most of the artists on the original poster have since pulled out, saying they were misled about the event's political ties.
The artists who have walked include some Black artists. Morris Day of Morris Day and The Time was direct: "Contrary to rumor, Morris Day and The Time will not be performing at the Great American State Fair."
The Commodores put it plainly on social media: "Our music has always been our voice and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party. We support the betterment of all Americans."
Young MC — the Grammy winner behind the classic 1989 hit "Bust A Move" — said the artists were never informed about the event's political ties. "Despite the claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, SPIN magazine describes it as Trump-backed," he wrote. "I hope to perform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged."
Milli Vanilli was listed on the poster — but the group's vocalist, Jodie Rocco, told the Associated Press that neither she nor any other band member had been asked to perform. "My sister and I were shocked to see our name," she said.
Country artist Martina McBride said she was told the event would be nonpartisan — and that turned out to be "misleading."
"I saw it as just a bigger version of so many state fairs I have performed at over the years," she wrote. "Yesterday things started changing and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening."
Of the original nine artists announced, only two are now understood to still be taking part: Vanilla Ice — a known Trump ally who performed at Mar-a-Lago in 2020 — and C+C Music Factory, whose lead rapper Freedom Williams delivered a seven-minute social media rant from his bathroom, insisting he doesn't support Trump but refused to back down after facing backlash for staying on the bill.
Freedom 250, which describes itself as a nonpartisan organization created under a presidential initiative to mark America's 250th anniversary, maintained its position in a statement: "Freedom 250 is focused on our signature celebrations and events that honor our history and engage all Americans."
The artists, clearly, weren't buying it.
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