A senior White House official says someone will likely be fired over the chaotic rollout of the Freedom 250 concert series, after a wave of musicians publicly withdrew from the administration’s signature semiquincentennial celebration on the National Mall.
The official described the handling of the concert invitations as “a mess” and suggested that someone would most likely be fired over how artists had been booked for the event. The official was granted anonymity to discuss internal conversations.
A separate insider told the Daily Mail the situation amounted to gross negligence.
“Allowing Z-list celebrities to embarrass the president like this, in a world where actual celebrities like Jason Aldean and Nicki Minaj actually support him, isn’t just embarrassing, it’s grossly negligent, and firings are coming,” the source said, adding that some artists had not even been contractually locked down before their names were publicly announced.
The recriminations come after a majority of the artists announced for the concert series dropped out of the Great American State Fair, a 16-day festival set for the National Mall from June 25 to July 10. Freedom 250 called the nine artists “the first wave of participants.” Among those who withdrew: Morris Day and the Time, Young MC, Martina McBride, Bret Michaels and the Commodores, all of whom said they had not been told the event was political in nature.
President Trump reacted with fury on Truth Social, calling the performers “overpriced” and saying they “do nothing but complain.” He urged organizers to cancel the concerts altogether and replace them with a political rally — and floated himself as a potential headliner, boasting that he draws “much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime.”
“We should have a giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY, for 250, instead of having overpriced singers, who nobody wants to hear, whose music is boring, and yet who do nothing but complain,” Mr. Trump wrote.
Young MC said that “artists were never told about any political involvement with the event.” Bret Michaels wrote that “what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be part of.” Martina McBride said the event “turned out to be misleading.”
Freedom 250 officials denied the event was political, with a spokesperson telling NBC News the group “is a nonpartisan organization singularly focused on celebrating America’s 250th anniversary and bringing Americans together around this historic milestone.”
Freedom 250 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works with the White House and various Trump administration agencies to plan events surrounding the 250th anniversary. It was created under the “Salute to America 250 Task Force,” which Mr. Trump established through an executive order shortly after taking office. It operates alongside America250, the separate nonprofit supporting the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, which was established by an act of Congress in 2016 and is led by a bipartisan group of lawmakers and private citizens. A White House spokesperson has said Freedom 250 does not replace America250 but adds to it.
Freedom 250 spokesperson Danielle Alvarez announced Saturday that Mr. Trump will “personally kick off this historic celebration on Wednesday, June 24 in an opening ceremony celebrating America’s 250th birthday.” Vanilla Ice, C+C Music Factory and Flo Rida remain on the bill.
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