Trump proposes MAGA rally to mark 250th anniversary after artists withdraw

President Donald Trump on Saturday proposed holding a large Make America Great Again rally to mark the nation's 250th anniversary after several artists withdrew from a planned concert series.

In a Truth Social post, Trump called for canceling the Freedom 250 concerts at the Great American State Fair. He also criticized a federal judge who on Friday ordered his name removed from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

"We should have a giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY, for 250, instead of having overpriced singers, who nobody wants to hear, whose music is boring, and yet who do nothing but complain," Trump wrote.

"Cancel it, just like I canceled my involvement with the failing and unsafe to be in Kennedy Center, because a Highly Conflicted, Crooked Federal Judge, said that I should not be allowed to spend my time and money in order to MAKE THE CENTER GREAT AGAIN, actually, far greater than it ever was before!" he continued.

The event is set to run from June 25 through July 10, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as part of the America 250 commemoration.

Earlier this week, organizers released a list of performers, but several later withdrew, including Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, Young MC, Morris Day and The Time, and C+C Music Factory. Vanilla Ice said he was honored to take part.

In a separate post, Trump said he was considering replacing the concerts with a speech after artists got "the yips."

"I understand Artists are getting 'the yips' having to do with their performance on Wednesday, so I am thinking about bringing the Number One Attraction anywhere in the World, the man who gets much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime, and he does so without a guitar, the man who loves our Country more than anyone else, and the man who some say is the Greatest President in History (THE GOAT!), DONALD J. TRUMP, to take the place of these highly paid, Third Rate 'Artists,' and give a major speech, rallying the Country forward like I have done ever since being President!" Trump wrote.

Trump said he was considering delivering the speech and holding a rally on June 24 to open the festivities.

"I don’t want so-called 'Artists' that get paid far too much money, who aren’t happy," he wrote. "I only want to be surrounded by Happy People, Smart People, Successful People, and People that know how to WIN."

Freedom 250 later announced that Trump would deliver a speech to open the event. "As the visionary behind the Great American State Fair, we are excited to announce that President Trump will personally kick off this historic celebration on Wednesday, June 24 in an opening ceremony celebrating America’s 250th birthday," spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez wrote on X.