Vanilla Ice defends performing at Trump's Freedom 250 concert after nearly every act backs out

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News on May 30, 2026

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Vanilla Ice is defending his participation in the “Great American State Fair,” insisting he’d perform for anyone — from President Donald Trump to former President Joe Biden to Russian President Vladimir Putin — if it meant showing his fans a good time.

As of Saturday, Ice is one of the few acts remaining on the roster for the event, a 16-day celebration in Washington D.C. that marks the nation’s 250th anniversary. It’s being organized by Freedom 250, described on its website as a “national, non-partisan organization” established by Trump.

Participants balked at the celebration’s affiliation with Trump, with many condemning the event on social media — but the “Ice Ice Baby” rapper thinks critics need to lighten up.

“I’m here to party with America, man,” he told TMZ on Friday. “Music is made to bring people together, and that’s what we are here to do. And we’re just gonna represent the ’90s.”

The hitmaker — whose real name is Robert Van Winkle — added that while he isn’t into politics, he believes the event is celebrating the nation as a whole.

“I don’t even vote, so I don’t even care. If Biden called up and said, ‘My daughter is getting married, we need Vanilla Ice,’ I’d go play. It’s not a big thing,” Ice said.

He added: “Music is not political, it’s universal.”

Freedom 250 announced its lineup for the “Great American State Fair” on Wednesday, with artists including Martina McBride, Young MC, the Commodores, Milli Vanilli, Brett Michaels, C+C Music Factory, Morris Day and Flo Rida in addition to Vanilla Ice scheduled to take the stage.

But Michaels and others quickly pulled out upon learning about Trump’s connection to the concert. In a long Instagram post Michaels said the event was originally described to him as a “celebration of our country through music” and a chance to honor “hardworking Americans from all walks of life.”

McBride similarly posted to social media, saying she was asked to “perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading.”

The Commodores, meanwhile, said they do not “publicly affiliate with any single political party.” Others followed suit, all of them cancelling with the exception of Ice and Flo Rida, who has yet to address the controversy.

The Great American State Fair is scheduled to run June 25 to July 10.