Several states are bowing out of Trump’s ‘Great American State Fair’

A rendering shows the proposed display for Montana, including a fossil digging station. (Freedom 250 via CNN Newsource)

U.S. President Donald Trump has billed the “Great American State Fair” as a patriotic World’s Fair featuring pavilions created by every US state and territory – but several US states will not participate.

Officials from Oregon, Washington, and North Carolina told CNN they declined an invitation from the Trump administration to showcase their states at the giant fairgrounds being built on the National Mall. Pennsylvania has yet to decide whether it will participate.

While officials said their states’ decisions were largely due to costs, a spokesperson for Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, pointed to concerns about the partisan nature of the event, set to open June 25 and last about two weeks.

“The State of Oregon will not be participating in the Great American State Fair due to both the cost of participating in the Fair and growing concerns that the event in Washington D.C. is shaping up to be a more partisan affair than originally presented,” spokesperson Luke Harkin said.

But all 50 states and territories will be represented even if some states don’t provide input, and details are still being “actively finalized,” a spokesperson for Freedom 250 told CNN.

“What we can say is that every state’s story will be told in a way that’s authentic to its people, history, and culture,” the spokesperson said, adding, “Whether represented by a governor’s office, a tourism board, or a beloved state company or organization, every community will be celebrated.”

Freedom 250 is the Trump-aligned nonprofit putting together the fair and a plethora of other 250th events backed by the president.

Trump has loomed large over celebrations of America’s semiquincentennial and has used the power of his office to direct programs, funding and themes that fit with his vision of the country.

Several of them have run into controversy. Earlier this month, the fair was forced to jettison an opening concert following the withdrawal of artists who were due to perform.

The administration has also been hit with criticism over its Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House this week, held in honor of the 250th, by Democrats who say the government should be more focused on lowering costs.

Meanwhile, Freedom 250 is touting the level of state participation in the fair and insisted that it will be a celebration for all Americans. The group shared with CNN rendering of pavilions that 21 states have already proposed. They show designs including a mini-golf course for South Carolina, a replica of the Alamo for Texas and a fossil digging station for Montana, among others.

CNN has reached out to dozens of states to confirm their participation.

Plans for the fair

On the campaign trail in 2023, Trump first floated plans for a state fair. Years later, his vision will be realized.

From June 25 through July 10, large white tents decorated with neo-classical columns will house dozens of state pavilions. Other plans include a scaled-down replica of Trump’s proposed 250-foot ‘triumphal arch’ and an enormous 110-foot Ferris wheel. Freedom 250 has also said there will be movie screenings, musical performances and military flyovers.

The renderings submitted to Freedom 250 reflect states’ histories and heritage.

Arizona’s pavilion will include an immersive reproduction of the wave-like sandstone walls found at the state’s famous Antelope Canyon. In Michigan, visitors will get a chance to see a mechanical milking cow, while in Minnesota, they’ll win prizes by selecting from a pond full of miniature versions of the North Star State’s official bird, the Common Loon.

At Wyoming’s pavilion, visitors will be able to try their hand at competing in rodeo, the state’s sport, through augmented reality headsets. Courtny Hinds, general manager of the Wyoming State Fair and Wyoming’s State Pavilion Lead, described the fair as a once-in-a-lifetime event that she was excited to attend.

“Every single state kind of has their own pieces of their identity, so whoever our neighbors will be, we’re excited to make friends with them and the rest of states and territories too,” she said.

Trump and 250

A person familiar with planning said that Freedom 250 paid for the build out of each booth and pavilion, but participating states were tasked with funding the decorations for their tents.

A spokesperson for the group responsible for North Carolina’s 250 planning said the state was invited “but due to the expenditures required to participate, the state is unable to attend.”

“Our limited resources are focused on America 250 events across North Carolina,” she said.

Oregon officials cited cost as “a big concern” when discussing the fair with Freedom 250. “We have determined Oregon cannot participate in the fair,” a state official told the organization in an email obtained by CNN. The Oregon official said that a $70,000 shipping cost was “substantially” higher than what the state had anticipated.

The states that have declined to participate are all led by Democratic governors.

Though the states’ displays are nonpartisan, Trump’s cultural agenda will feature heavily over the fair, which is being kicked off with a rally by the president himself.

The decision to hold what he described as “A Rally to end all Rallies!” came last week after musicians pulled out of a performance that was originally planned.

“We don’t want singers with no talent, but big fees to put you to sleep, we’ve told them all to stay home,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “All we want is you, me, a few speakers, and the Greatest Music ever played, the same Music you have listened to for years!”

In a statement to CNN, Freedom 250 defended Trump’s prominent place in the 250th celebrations and said that presidents have long played a role at commemorations of the nation’s founding — from Ulysses S. Grant at the Centennial in 1876 to Gerald Ford at the Bicentennial in 1976.

“We proudly welcome President Trump, who has shown genuine enthusiasm for celebrating America and its patriotic traditions, just as we would have welcomed any sitting president,” said Freedom 250 spokesperson Rachel Reisner.

But critics have argued that the celebrations depart from past national celebrations that did not have such overt political overtones. Watchdog groups have raised alarm about the lack of transparency around Freedom 250.

As a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Park Foundation, Freedom 250 does not have to disclose its donors.

Two Virginia residents have filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the UFC fight at the White House.

Justice Department lawyers told a federal judge Tuesday that the suit was brought too late to justify judicial intervention and that a ruling blocking the event, which is set to take place this coming weekend, would upend months of careful planning and unfairly burden a host of parties including the president, thousands of spectators and more than a dozen athletes. The administration is still awaiting a ruling in the suit.

Tim Whitehouse, the executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) told CNN that Trump’s “partisan events” are “not what the American people deserve on their 250th birthday.”

PEER has sued the Trump administration over its refusal to release key documents related to Freedom 250 that the group is seeking under the Freedom of Information Act. On Tuesday, a federal judge ordered the administration to respond to the group’s complaint on or before June 26.

“It’s not to say that a Great American Fair or UFC fight or a car race as part of our 250th celebrations isn’t appropriate,” Whitehouse said. “It’s the way they’re being handled and managed in a sort of a corrupt, non-transparent way.”

Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN