Two veteran recording artists abruptly withdrew Wednesday from the Great American State Fair, a Freedom 250-organized festival on the National Mall in Washington slated to mark the nation’s 250th birthday, citing the event’s connection to President Trump.
Morris Day and his band, The Time, were among the first acts to distance themselves from the lineup, which Freedom 250 had announced just the day before.
“Contrary to rumors, Morris Day & the Time will not be performing at the ’Great American State Fair,’” Mr. Day wrote on Instagram, adding in a comment: “It’s a No for Me.”
Hours later, rapper Young MC, born Marvin Young, followed with his own statement. “I have informed my agents that I will not be performing at the Freedom 250 event,” he wrote on social media. “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.’ I hope to perform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged.”
A third announced performer, C+C Music Factory frontman Freedom Williams, initially indicated he would also withdraw before reversing course in an expletive-laden, eight-minute Instagram video. Mr. Williams said he had been blindsided by the event’s political nature — telling his agent, “You didn’t say nothing about Trump” — but ultimately declared he could not be pressured by online critics. “I might do the motherf——— show,” he concluded.
The Great American State Fair is scheduled to run June 25 through July 10 on the National Mall as a 16-day “national exposition” and centerpiece of the nation’s semiquincentennial. The lineup unveiled Wednesday also included Martina McBride, Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli, The Commodores, Flo Rida and Bret Michaels.
Freedom 250 bills itself as a nonpartisan organization but was founded at the direction of Mr. Trump. The organization’s chief executive, Keith Krach, has credited the president as the initiative’s founder, writing that Mr. Trump “launched Freedom 250” and that he was “grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to execute his vision.”
Freedom 250 had not responded to the departures of Mr. Day and Young MC.
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