By all indications, Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair has been a huge flop.
Most of the musical acts were canceled, and nearly every time the “Fair” was shown on television, it appeared empty or nearly empty, and even worse stories. This week, The Daily Beast noted that the Fair remains a huge embarrassment as it heads into its final night on Friday.
The Great American State Fair is limping toward the finish line—and it’s still largely empty.
https://t.co/TN2cFyMfDj— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) July 9, 2026
“Sixteen days after President Donald Trump opened the fair with a MAGA rally on the National Mall, organizers are hoping for one last burst of patriotic enthusiasm before the event ends on Friday night. They’ll need it,” the Beast reported.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news!
Subscribe and start recieving our daily emails.
“But there were still no lines at the entrance, large patches of open space throughout the grounds, and one band gamely performing to empty chairs,” the outlet wrote, after visiting the underwhelming fair again this week.
And then, after all of that, the fair was evacuated due to weather.
The Great American State Fair was supposed to be the centerpiece of the Trump administration’s America 250 celebration, yet even it is more of a Potemkin village than a sincere homage.https://t.co/9IKajakBvY
— 🇺🇦ChrissMiller🇺🇦 @chrissmiller.bsky.social (@chriss_miller) July 9, 2026
Energy Secretary Chris Wright was there, but his talk was, per the Beast, “largely by federal workers and energy enthusiasts.” Wright answered children’s questions about which superpowers he would like to have.
Also, the Beast reported, it didn’t feel much like a State Fair, the sort of gathering that usually has big crowds, not to mention certain foods.
“Finding the mythical fair food proved just as difficult. Despite wandering the expansive grounds in search of the elusive corn dog—arguably the defining symbol of any American state fair—none could be found.”
“It just feels so monotonous now,” one food vendor told the outlet. “July the Fourth was great because it was really busy, but everything else has been pretty slow.”
And while there weren’t many people at the Fair, Trump was everyone, the publication noted.
“While the fair was billed as ‘bipartisan,’ Trump’s presence remained inescapable,” the story said. “His image is featured throughout the Freedom Trucks – mobile museums offering history lessons through a distinctly Trumpian lens – and promotional signs encouraged visitors to open Trump investment accounts.”
Photo courtesy of an X screenshot.
