Singers who were set to appear at the "Freedom 250" concert in Washington, D.C., to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States have one after another declared they will not participate.
On the 30th, CNN reported that most of the singers who were to appear in the "Freedom 250" series are dropping out midway. The concert was scheduled to be held from the 25th of next month to July 10 as part of the "Great American State Fair."
However, as it became known that Freedom 250 is an organization established by White House executive order to counter the bipartisan "United States Semiquincentennial Commission (America250)," singers have successively declared a boycott.
Grammy-winning rapper Young MC explained the late cancellation of his appearance via social media, saying, "Artists did not hear a single word about what political connections this event might have."
Bret Michaels, the lead vocalist of the rock band Poison, also said he would not participate, saying, "What was introduced as a celebration of the homeland has turned into something far more divisive than what I agreed to take part in."
However, the organizers countered that the event is nonpartisan, and some singers still plan to take part. Rapper Vanilla Ice said, "We don't take things too seriously," adding that it is an honor to join the concert.
As singers one after another expressed their intention not to perform, President Trump said he would take the stage himself. On Truth Social that day, he said, "I know that the singers are experiencing 'yips' in relation to the Wednesday performance," adding, "I also do not want so-called artists who are overpaid and unhappy."
He added that he intends to deliver a speech himself at the concert, saying, "I will bring in Donald Trump—the man who offers the greatest show on earth and draws more people than at the height of Elvis Presley's era, the man who can do it without even a guitar, the man who loves the homeland more than anyone, the man called the greatest president in history—to replace the third-rate artists."