Several artists drop out of Trump-backed 250th anniversary event in Washington

Washington — Several artists pulled out of a planned concert series tied to the country’s 250th anniversary after the initial lineup was released.

Freedom 250, a bipartisan nonprofit created to mark the anniversary in the capital, announced the performers on Wednesday. By that evening, Morris Day of Morris Day and The Time had already said he would not appear. His official Facebook account posted, “It’s A No For Me.”

Young MC also withdrew. “I HAVE INFORMED MY AGENTS THAT I WILL NOT BE PERFORMING AT THE FREEDOM 250 EVENT,” he wrote on Facebook. “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.”

The Commodores said Thursday on social media that the group “will not be performing at the Great American State Fair.” The statement added, “Our music has always been our voice and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party.”

Country singer Martina McBride also backed out. She said she had agreed to perform after being assured the event would be nonpartisan, but later found that description “misleading.”

Milli Vanilli remained on the list even though one of the duo’s frontmen, Rob Pilatus, died in 1998. Jodie Rocco, one of the actual vocalists behind the act, told The Associated Press that neither she nor her sister had been asked to perform.

Vanilla Ice is still scheduled to appear. His management agency told CBS News that he is “contracted and will perform at the Great American Fair at the National Mall on Friday, June 26.”

Other artists listed include C+C Music Factory, Flo Rida and Bret Michaels. Freedom Williams of C+C Music Factory said in an Instagram video that he does not support President Trump but still plans to perform.

Freedom 250 described the Great American State Fair as a 16-day event running June 25 through July 10 on the National Mall. It will include exhibits from every state and territory, with mainstage concerts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

The group said it is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization. Spokesperson Rachel Reisner said the effort is meant to “unite Americans around the nation’s 250th anniversary.” The commission includes members of both parties in Congress. The anniversary events were already under way before President Trump took office.