President Donald Trump says he is taking America’s 250th anniversary celebration into his own hands, calling for a mass rally in Washington on 24 June after planned concert events were scrapped when several artists withdrew.
“In celebration of our Country’s 250 Year History, we will be bringing you, LIVE, the Greatest Rally, EVER! It will be special at every level – A Rally to end all Rallies!” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.
Blaming the shake-up on performers who demanded high payouts, the 79-year-old Republican took aim at the acts who had been slated to appear.
“We don’t want singers with no talent, but big fees to put you to sleep, we’ve told them all to stay home,” added the 79-year-old Republican.
Instead, he said he wants a simpler program centered on speeches and familiar music, rather than a large roster of paid performers.
“All we want is you, me, a few speakers, and the Greatest Music ever played, the same Music you have listened to for years!” he wrote.
Mr Trump said the music would include appearances by Lee Greenwood, the singer of ‘God Bless the USA,’ a staple of his political rallies.
A banner celebrating aviation is displayed in preparation for America’s 250th birthday celebration
He also said the event would feature US military bands and choruses, promising what he described as “all of your favourite Hits, PLUS a fine and highly dignified gentleman known as, President DONALD J TRUMP!”
Mr Trump had previously floated the idea of staging a rally tied to his ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) movement, though he did not reference MAGA in his announcement yesterday.
The 250th anniversary has been a focus of his efforts to put a personal imprint on the milestone, including plans for a mixed martial arts fight in a specially constructed arena on the White House lawn on 14 June, which also falls on his 80th birthday.
But the broader celebrations have run into turbulence in recent weeks.
After a Washington concert series around the 4 July holiday announced its performers, multiple acts later pulled out, with some pointing to the event’s politicisation.
Those who backed out included country singer Martina McBride and glam rocker Bret Michaels, frontman of the 1980s band Poison.
The concerts had been scheduled to begin on 25 June as part of major National Mall events organised by Freedom 250, a President Trump-backed public-private entity.
With some headliners gone, the remaining line-up — including Vanilla Ice and C+C Music Factory — has drawn a wave of sarcastic reactions across social media.
