President Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair overpromised and underdelivered.
Attendees to the two-week-long fair that spans the length of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., were underwhelmed by the event billed as “a world-class exposition and modern-day World’s Fair” by Freedom 250, a group created by the White House to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
The fair promised to “showcase the very best of America through state pavilions, industry displays, family-friendly attractions, movie screenings, musical performances, military ensembles, spectacular flyovers, daily cultural programming, and an iconic Ferris wheel on the National Mall.”
Instead, attendees who came from all over the country were met with Trumpy installations, empty booths, melted ice cream, and, for some reason, a cow named after first lady Melania Trump.
The event let down even the president’s own supporters. Charles DeJesus, a three-time Trump voter from Pennsylvania, told The New York Times that he had been planning to attend the fair since first hearing about it six months ago.
“It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, but that’s OK,” he said, explaining that he expected more people, a buzzier atmosphere, and more food options. “The fat boy in me was looking for some good food, but that didn’t quite happen.”
A New Jersey man who identified himself only as Earl said he found many of the booths lacking substance, adding that if organizers had charged money, he would have asked for a refund.
Emily, a teenager from Alaska, was exasperated to find the pavilion for her state empty. She told The Atlantic that she would have liked to see “some representation of the nature, because we’re famous for it, and also maybe just, like, something in there, literally anything.”
Alonzo Lewis Jr. and Kelly Domizio, a couple from New York, had differing views on the fair.
“This was really pretty cool,” Domizio told The Associated Press, saying it reminded her of the bicentennial in 1976, when “there was a sense of pride” and togetherness. “We are enjoying the day, but it feels forced.”
“Was it necessary? I don’t think so,” Lewis added. “It feels forced. There’s so much separation.”
The White House and Freedom 250 did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Swamp, the Daily Beast’s political newsletter, reported from the scene that there wasn’t much to see apart from a 110-foot “Freedom 250” Ferris wheel and a “Triumph Arch” made of plywood, intended to emulate the president’s “Arc de Trump” vanity project.
The plan was to have all 50 states represented at the fair, but several opted not to participate for various reasons, including high costs, difficulty securing sponsors, and aversion to politicization.
Apart from thin crowds, the event also struggled to book performers and keep ice cream frozen thanks to a power outage.
Trump kicked off the show with a Wednesday night rally that he later claimed was “packed to the brim” with 45,000 people—contrary to footage of audience members leaving during a speech in which he recycled his usual MAGA rally talking points.
“I wish we were able to have an even larger area, which we will be able to do on July 4th when I’ll be speaking again,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The airplane flyovers and music were fantastic. Everybody stayed right until the end of my Speech because they loved hearing about a truly successful America. See you again on July 4th!”
