President Donald Trump will turn 80 on June 14, and everyone knows that he loves a party in his honor.
Trump previously threw a bizarre “Great Gatsby”-themed birthday party at Mar-a-Lago complete with gold ballrooms, flapper costumes, and scantily clad performers.
Now the over-the-top spectacle is facing fresh chaos as multiple artists claim they were blindsided into performing at what they say turned out to be a political event.
The president will celebrate his birthday with a trashy UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14.
As part of America’s upcoming 250th birthday event this July, it follows several other performances between June 14 and July 10.
The president is having an arena built for the UFC fight, as well as a stadium for viewers, and construction began on May 24.
Celebrities invited to Trump’s fight allegedly include former “Saturday Night Live star” Adam Sandler, former NFL pro Tom Brady, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “The Little Things” star Jared Leto, actor Jason Statham, director Guy Ritchie, and “Access Hollywood” host Mario Lopez.
After the celebrity invite list for the event was shared, backlash erupted after critics claimed the event exposed an uncomfortable divide in who was being celebrated and who was being used for entertainment.
Lopez declined the invite allegedly over work commitments, and now more artists are backing out.
“Contrary to rumor, Morris Day & The Time will not be performing at The ‘Great American State Fair,” he wrote in a post shared on Facebook. The caption read, “It’s a no for me.”
His response prompted one fan to reply, “Cause honey, I had questions, chile. Whew!!!”
Rapper Young MC also shut down the rumors, while insisting he was bamboozled by what the event was for.
“I HAVE INFORMED MY AGENTS THAT I WILL NOT BE PERFORMING AT THE FREEDOM 250 EVENT,” he began. “The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event.”
MC claims organizers said the event is “non-partisan,” but he was confused seeing outlets like SPIN magazine called it a Trump-backed” event.
“I hope to perform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged,” he concluded.
This is the worst lineup of musical acts I have ever seen. pic.twitter.com/qCSpzqWkTe
— Sonny Bunch (@SonnyBunch) May 27, 2026
Rapper Freedom Williams of C + C Music Factory said he, too, got a call from his agent about a show in Washington, but they never mentioned Trump.
“Listen here, I don’t f– with Trump, I don’t give a f– about Trump. I don’t give a f— about Trump family. I don’t know the n—. I’m from New York. I know the type of anarchy he creates.”
The backlash was instant, was supporters claimed they would not support his new music under a May 14 post about the vinyl release of his 2024 song.
He replied, “This show was presented to me as a non-political local event for D.C. If it turns out that a political group is behind it, I will drop out.”
Regardless, fans let it be known how they would feel about the celebs invited to the event should they accept.
Construction is underway on the White House South Lawn for UFC Freedom 250, a mixed martial arts event set to be held on President Trump’s 80th birthday. pic.twitter.com/WAp69erxZr
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 27, 2026
One user wrote, “We already know Brady is a bud. Not sure about the rest. I imagine they’ll all go, I’m sure they love the spotlight.”
Several folks showed their disappointment in Sandler should he attend, including one who replied, “If Sandler goes, he will have lost every bit of goodwill and genuine affection/appreciation of not only his work but the type of person he seems to be.”
The person added that they would “never watch another Sandler event/movie/interview again.”
In addition to the event on June 14, several other events are planned for Freedom 250, including musical performances on the National Mall known as the Great America State Fair.
“Kind of embarrassing to be an American right now,” added another reader. “I think I’ll stay in until this blows over.
The 16-day ’90s-themed celebration begins on June 25 and ends on July 10, and performers include “My House” rapper Flo Rida, The Commodores, Vanilla Ice, country star Martina McBride, C+C Music Factory, musician Bret Michaels, the surviving half of Milli Vanilli.
“This is the worst lineup of musical acts I have ever seen,” noted one vocal critic on X.
Musical performances are scheduled for every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, and more musical acts will be announced as the event gets closer.
