‘Hilarious and Sad!’: Trump’s Great American State Fair Hit with Massive Power Outage — Then a Bizarre Dance and Melted Ice Cream Made Things Worse

Donald Trump has been endlessly bragging and hyping up his beleaguered Great American State Fair, which is part of the ongoing set of events for the American 250 anniversary celebration.

However, as the festivities have officially kicked off, they have been beset by a series of embarrassing moments — and the latest involved a power outage and an incredibly strange interpretive dance.

As expected, Trump pretended that nothing went wrong at all.

Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair is off to a rocky start in Washington. (Photo: Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)

On Thursday, June 25, the Great American State Fair finally opened to the public, but from the start it was the source of mishaps, ridicule, and overall embarrassment at Trump’s hands.

According to Raw Story, the event suffered a widespread power outage that impacted the food hall on the National Mall — meaning that dessert vendors serving ice cream watched in horror as their inventory literally disappeared before their eyes due to melting.

The power failure was one in a list of complaints about the event’s food, as the outrageous prices were another extreme source of concern.

Newsweek reports that attendees paid $23 for a turkey leg, $20 for a cheeseburger, $20 for a western sausage, and between $12.48 and $24.96 for stuffed pretzels—all washed down with a $9 lemonade.

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The food costs are especially ironic considering that Trump continues to insist that rising inflation doesn’t exist.

The 80-year-old has an extensive history of exaggerating crowd size at his events, and this one was no different. 

While he proudly declared that the Great American State Fair packed in at least 45,000 people, actual attendees and news outlets estimated a far lower turnout, with many reporting just over 1,000 people in attendance.

In the midst of power failure, exorbitant food prices, and a glaringly thin crowd, there was the most bizarre moment of the kickoff event that featured an interpretive dance.

Dressed as an American flag with a crown of stars atop her head, a woman danced around the stage while music played in the background.

Her performance was seen by a very sparse audience, who appeared to be just as confused as those on the internet.

View on Threads

“This is simultaneously hilarious and sad,” one user on Threads wrote.

Another turned up the sarcasm, adding “What an amazing turnout. There must be 5 or 6 people there.”

“My summer skits at drama camp weren’t even this bad,” a third shared.

Meanwhile, a fourth imagined how things would have been different if the outcome of the 2024 election declared former vice president Kamala Harris as the winner.

“Can you IMAGINE what the 250th celebrations would’ve been like under Harris? That’d be Beyoncé on that stage and not some poor child in an American flag bedsheet,” the user commented.

The Great American State Fair runs through July 10 with a collection of state-themed exhibits and attractions, including a Ferris wheel.

Prior to the event kickoff, multiple states — including Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Washington — confirmed they would not send official delegations to the festivities.

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