Donald Trump Defends Great American State Fair After Missing Crowds, Weather Chaos and Vanilla Ice Cancelation

The Great American State Fair was supposed to launch America 250 with patriotic spectacle.

Instead, it has become a story about crowd size, canceled performers and a party that never quite got started.

President Donald Trump took to Truth Social early Monday to defend the event after days of criticism over low attendance and operational problems at the National Mall celebration, which is being delivered by Freedom 250.

“Do you think people appreciate what a fantastic job we did in building and operating the Great American State Fair at the National Mall, packed with happy people, and everybody loving it?” Trump wrote. “DO YOU THINK THAT OBUMA OR SLEEPY JOE BIDEN COULD HAVE DONE IT?’ THE ANSWER IS NO!”

The fair opened June 24 with a Trump rally and early signs of trouble. Power cuts hit the food hall on opening day, reportedly melting ice cream, while generator issues briefly shut down the Ferris wheel.

Attendance also became a running issue. Photographs showed sparse attendance on the National Mall. Trump previously claimed his kickoff rally drew at least 45,000 people and was “packed to the brim,” despite footage and reports showing thinner crowds.

Although the fair was meant to feature booths from every U.S. state and territory, several states opted out because of taxpayer costs, difficulties securing sponsors or concerns that the supposedly nonpartisan celebration had taken on a political tone.

The entertainment lineup had already been battered before the weekend. Vanilla Ice was left as the only remaining act after other performers dropped off the bill, including Young MC, Milli Vanilli and C+C Music Factory.

Young MC said he and others were not told about the event’s political connections when they were booked for what they believed was a patriotic event tied to the country’s semiquincentennial.

Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Rob Van Winkle, had tried to frame his appearance as nonpolitical.

“I’m here to party with America, man,” he told TMZ last month. “Music is made to bring people together.”

But his Friday “I Love the ’90s” performance was canceled roughly two hours before showtime when organizers shut down the fair because of inclement weather.

Extreme heat and rain forced organizers to temporarily close the fair again Sunday afternoon. A digital billboard directed attendees to check “Freeedom 250” social channels, misspelling the organization’s name with an extra E.

Trump has promised bigger festivities on July 4, when he is slated to speak again.