President Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 concert has turned into a complete disaster.
The lineup’s performers quickly unraveled shortly after its reveal last week.
The roster dropped from 12 artists to three within hours, as many rushed to distance themselves from the event.
Reputations are at stake for people like Young MC, Morris Day & the Time, and the Commodores, who prefer not to perform for “partisan” audiences.
Trump is making a last-ditch effort after scrambling to reboot the failed event.
The nearly 80-year-old president is now leaning on someone older than him to save him from the humiliation of a poorly attended concert series.
“We went from C list to D list,” replied one Daily Beast reader to the news. Another said, “OK. So we’re going sub-karaoke. I’m interested in where this goes.”
Trump used Truth Social to unveil his “Rally to End All Rallies” in Washington on June 24, scheduling the event one day ahead of the Great American State Fair shows.
His remarks constitute a direct attack on the artists who chose to withdraw from the event.
“We don’t want singers with no talent, but big fees to put you to sleep, we’ve told them all to stay home,” he wrote on Thursday.
“All we want is you, me, a few speakers, and the Greatest Music ever played, the same Music you have listened to for years!” Trump added.
Initially, Vanilla Ice, Flo Rida and Freedom Williams of the C+C Music Factory were still on the lineup. But Trump did not mention their names among the performers.
The president will serve as headliner with 83-year-old country singer Lee Greenwood as his opening act on June 24.
Vanilla Ice gets iced out. pic.twitter.com/cgIhdL2ICi
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) June 4, 2026
Greenwood will perform one of Trump’s favorite rally songs, the 1984 hit “God Bless the U.S.A.”
The country singer, who has performed at Trump rallies since his first term in 2016, sang the song at Charlie Kirk’s memorial last September.
“I liked Lee Greenwood UNTIL his Trump supporting ways,” said one critic. Another said, “They will be pulling out the punched rolled piano player with only one roll.”
Trump also tapped opera singer Christopher Macchio to perform at the rally, calling him the best voice since Luciano Pavarotti.
Macchio has become one of Trump’s go-to performers, appearing at rallies and other MAGA events.
However, Pavarotti’s family previously rejected Trump’s use of “Nessun Dorma” at rallies over concerns about his views on immigration.
A third person said, “BWWWWAAAAHHAAAAAHHAAAAAAAA! This is just so hilariously lame, Poor Li’l Donnie, no one wants to perform at his party and now he’s furious and booking the bottom of the barrel. Yeah, it’s really funny when he tries to intimidate people who just aren’t intimidated by him, and aren’t shy about speaking up about how much they despise him.”
Skeptics wondered exactly what tricks Trump, who is not an artist, has up his sleeve for his so-called performance.
Others blasted Trump for his embarrassing party, calling it a “MAGA Failure.” One person said, “Good God, sounds truly pathetic. I’d rather watch paint dry.”
Martina McBride and Bret Michaels also pulled back from performing at Freedom 250, scheduled to take place on the National Mall from June 25 through July 10, 2026.
Trump’s rally is one day earlier on June 24.
