Trump says he will headline rally marking nation's 250th anniversary

Derek Wallbank, Bloomberg News on Jun 4, 2026

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President Donald Trump said he would headline a rally in Washington on June 24 to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, a week after several artists pulled out of planned shows on the National Mall.

“We don’t want singers with no talent, but big fees to put you to sleep, we’ve told them all to stay home,” Trump said in a social media post — a nod to the wave of cancellations by artists who said they wouldn’t be performing shortly after they were announced as featured acts.

“All we want is you, me, a few speakers, and the Greatest Music ever played, the same Music you have listened to for years!” he said.

At least five of the nine announced performers pulled out of the previously planned shows on the National Mall, saying the event was more political than they had been led to believe. Freedom 250, which is organizing the events, is a group described by Trump as a public-private nonprofit that also organized an overtly Christian prayer meeting on May 17 that included a video message from the president.

Cancellations for the Freedom 250 shows included country music icon Martina McBride, hip hop artist Young MC, The Commodores, Morris Day and The Time and Bret Michaels. Rapper Vanilla Ice defended the event in a social media video, saying it was “not a political platform.”

Trump said the musical acts for his own rally would include “God Bless the USA” singer Lee Greenwood and opera tenor Christopher Macchio, both of whom have performed before at other rallies the president has held, as well as military bands.