Trump kicks off the Great American State Fair after musicians pulled out

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump treated the kickoff Wednesday to the Great American State Fair as a victory lap for the U.S. — and for himself.

Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscription

Get exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.

“Tonight, as we stand at the edge of our 250th year, I am thrilled to declare that America is back,” Trump said in a speech on the National Mall. “As you know very well, a short time ago we were a dead country. We were dead. Now we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world. We’re respected by everybody. Nobody’s laughing at us anymore.”

The event, organized by Freedom 250 , a public-private partnership created by Trump that labels itself as a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, marked the beginning of the 16-day exposition, envisioned as a modern-day world’s fair to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.

Planning for the event stirred controversy last month when several musical artists booked to perform, including rapper Young MC and country singer Martina McBride, backed out , citing concerns about the political nature of an event backed by the Trump White House.

Trump seized on the development as an opportunity to write himself into the lineup as the headliner. But it was an unusually short rally-style speech from a president who often goes longer than an hour. He wrapped up his remarks in about 30 minutes and did not appear to wander off script.

“This anniversary is a time to be proud of our past, but it is also a time to lift our sights, expand our ambitions and raise our expectations of what America can be,” Trump said. “We will leave our children nothing less than the richest inheritance, most advanced civilization and highest standard of living in human history. There’s never been anything like it, but with all of that being said, the best is yet to come.”

Trump, who was welcomed to the stage by country singer Lee Greenwood during a live performance of “God Bless the USA,” also recognized the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding to end the U.S. war in Iran.

“Last week we signed a historic agreement to end the conflict with Iran, fully open the Strait of Hormuz and accomplish what no president has ever been able to accomplish before,” Trump said, declaring victory even as final details remain under negotiation. “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump, who chairs the task force that his administration created to oversee Freedom 250 festivities, spoke from behind bulletproof glass on a stage decked out in Freedom 250 and Great American State Fair signage. The Washington Monument loomed in the background.

A pre-speech spectacle included fighter jet flyovers and military bands. The U.S. Marine Band accompanied country singer Alexis Wilkins , the girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, as she performed the national anthem. Later, the U.S. Army Band Downrange offered a rendition of Laura Branigan’s cover of “Gloria” — a staple at Trump rallies.

But there was little doubt who the center of attention was: Trump himself.

In a heavily partisan warm-up speech, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pronounced the military bands as “way better than those libtards that canceled on us,” using a pejorative for progressives. He then declared Trump to be the greatest U.S. president since George Washington.

“This movement uniting our country to commemorate its 250th birthday has no greater champion than President Donald J. Trump,” said another of Wednesday’s opening acts, Monica Crowley, the Trump administration’s chief of protocol.

Trump, for his part, stuck to familiar talking points, but without too many of the hyperpartisan asides and meandering for which his speeches are known. He briefly touched on a hot-button cultural issue that energized Republican voters during his 2024 campaign.

“We banned the transgender mutilation of children, and we made it the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders — male and female,” Trump said at one point. “We got men out of women’s sports.”

Trump also referenced the recent controversy surrounding the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool , repeating unsupported claims that vandals damaged the pool. Six people have been arrested in connection with the allegation, and seven people have been cited, Trump said on Truth Social.

As part of a $14 million-plus rehabilitation project ahead of the 250th celebration, a new liner and coating were added in a color Trump has named “American flag blue.” But recent photos of the pool show that the blue sealant has started to peel away, leaving chunks floating at the surface, while algae growth has turned the water green.

“The reflecting pool that you’ve heard so much about, which is so incredible, it’s been gruesomely vandalized by thugs, bad people, but soon we’ll be looking as beautiful as it looked just two weeks ago,” Trump said. “In fact, I looked at it just a little while ago. It looks perfect already, but we’re fixing it.”

People began arriving for the kickoff in the late afternoon, grabbing American flag placards and seats on the lawn. Others sought shade in a picnic area, where members of a bible ministry from Florida offered to pray for passersby.

Merchandise tables sold red “America Is Back” baseball caps, in the style of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” hats, and an assortment of Freedom 250 shirts, scarves and knickknacks. Concessionaires sold snacks and soft drinks. More than one attendee expressed disappointment after walking into a stand advertising beer and being informed no alcohol was available.

Roughly half of those in Wednesday’s crowd of more than 1,000 wore Trump’s slogans or likeness on their clothes. For them, America’s 250th birthday was secondary to an opportunity to see the president.

“This is my 116th Trump rally,” said Edward X. Young of Brick, New Jersey. “I believe in President Trump.”

He added, noting Trump’s two, nonconsecutive terms: “I believe our two greatest presidents ever were 47 and 45.”

Young — who wore a Hawaiian shirt depicting Trump on a surfboard over a “Fight! Fight Fight!” T-shirt calling back to the 2024 assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania — also recalled celebrating America’s bicentennial 50 years ago in Boston.

“I’m 66 years old,” Young said. “How could I miss out? I even tell my liberal friends, put the politics aside, this is history.”

Shannon Silveri, a Washington-area resident who described herself as sympathetic to Trump, said she viewed the night as a “nonpartisan” celebration.

“I would not miss this day for anything,” Silveri said. “It’s the opening, the kickoff, celebrating America’s 250. This is a huge birthday. We want to have another 250 years to leave to our next generation.”

Waiting outside a food pavilion, Mary Smith of North Ridgeville, Ohio, described herself as “MAGA-ish.” Trump, she said, was not the main factor in her decision to travel here.

“I remember celebrating the bicentennial when I was a kid, and I wanted to be here for this,” Smith said. “To me, it doesn’t matter who the president is. It’s still my country. I’m very proud and thankful that I live here.”

“I would be here,” Smith added, “no matter who the president was.”