There were signs that Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair flop was heading for disaster even in the planning stages.
Some of the states that agreed to participate in the event on Washington, D.C.’s National Mall, raised the alarm in a series of increasingly panicked emails to organizers, reported NOTUS.
An irate New Hampshire organizer told Freedom 250 in a May 19 email that it was still “unclear if there are costs above and beyond what we incur as a state to staff and fill the pavilion ourselves.”
“We have almost no budget, so every penny counts!” they added.
One major issue for New Hampshire—one of 40 states that put on a booth for Trump’s sparsely attended fair—was a $12,000 price quote for furnishings.
The figure was provided by Freeman, a Trump-linked company. Joe Popolo, Trump’s U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands and a major Republican donor, served on Freeman’s board and was the company’s CEO for nearly 20 years.
According to NOTUS, organizers from New Hampshire were alarmed to receive a quote from Freeman to furnish their booth, separate from the fee to rent the space.
“It was unclear to us that the furnishings (tables, chairs, etc.) would be a major cost,” a New Hampshire organizer said in an email to Freedom 250. “Freeman said it is approx. $12,000 for the furnishings, which are not in the budget for NH. Even if it were, we do not have sufficient time to get the proper approvals.”
Elsewhere, emails obtained by NOTUS revealed that Michigan repeatedly expressed concern that Freedom 250 did not leave enough time for preparations before the Great American State Fair.
“We’re worried about the short time frame between now and June, so would like formal approval as fast as possible if we’re going to try and do this well,” a state official told Freedom 250 in a March 8 email, just over two weeks after Michigan submitted its plans for the fair.
Michigan sent a follow-up email on March 23 asking Freedom 250 to confirm its plans, followed by additional emails on April 6 and May 7 inquiring about shipping addresses.
“We do need to put an address down for a number of things we’re sending to Washington that we’ve procured,” the Michigan official wrote in May. “I’m chomping at the bit to receive those the second you have them, please.”
Michigan was still complaining in another email to Freedom 250 on May 26 that key details—such as its assigned booth number, the size of its booth, and whether Freeman could help move materials into its tent—had not been provided.
“Current renderings and information leave several important operational questions unanswered,” Michigan organizers told Freedom 250 in an email just weeks before the fair opened.
Other issues flagged by the states included late demands from Freedom 250 regarding tenure policies, as well as a requirement that each state’s pavilion “be staffed at all times.”
The Great American State Fair, which has been plagued with poor attendance, weather disruptions, power failures, and amateurish appearance runs through July 10.
The Daily Beast has contacted Freedom 250 for comment.
