Trump's Great American State Fair opens with melted ice cream, empty booths

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: USA Today

Updated June 26, 2026, 6:54 p.m. ET


WASHINGTON – The Great American State Fair is underway at the National Mall to mark the United States' 250th birthday. But not everything is off to such a great start. The event has quickly faced problems including power outages, melting ice cream – and a lack of representation from states that declined to send delegations.

While organizers assured visitors all parts of the nation would be represented, at least 10 states and territories refused to participate, with many citing the price tag to send staff to the 16-day event as their reason for opting out.

Booths for Connecticut, Oregon, Washington, Maine, Alaska, the U.S. Virgin Islands featured just backdrops and chairs or carpets.

But other states went all-out for the semiquincentennial. The Texas booth allowed visitors to take photos with the Alamo, play with an interactive display for long-running music series "Austin City Limits" and sit inside a spaceship. Meanwhile, the Nevada booth was Las Vegas-themed. California's booth offered attendees the opportunity to enter a raffle for a free vacation.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/06/26/trump-great-american-state-fair-dc-issues/90711788007/

[Lonestarblue]

1. I haven't been to a state fair in decades and have no intention of ever attending one again.

I thought this was a foolish idea when it was announced because why would people want to travel to DC to see something representing their state when they could just go to their own state fair! Everything Trump plans is tacky beyond belief.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. I thought the concept was interesting as a "state showcase", particularly when you have tourists

who would travel to the U.S. capital.

But since the 250th Committee has been taken over as a partisan group, then the concept and intent has been altered and destroyed.

[FakeNoose]

6. Exactly this!

Nobody I know has an interest in traveling to Washington DC - not this week, not this year.
It doesn't mean we are disloyal Americans, we just have no desire to support this regime.

[Walleye]

2. Not very well thought out like everything else in this administration

[mwb970]

4. A truly meaningless exercise.

[Callalily]

5. More tax payer money wasted.

[3Hotdogs]

7. New Jersey did not participate but Cape May county bought a vacation themed booth. Not unreasonable, since the

Cape May economy is based on tourism.

[2naSalit]

8. I like California's...

Response, offer a free vacation in California.

[Historic NY]

9. The side show acts by the old carnival barker himself.

[twodogsbarking]

11. Meet the man who never stops talking. Eighty years and still won't shut up.

[PJMcK]

10. Surprise, surprise, surprise

A Trump event is failing from the get-go. Who would have guessed?

Everything Trump attempts fails because he’s ignorant, disorganized and stupid.

Will we ever be done with this loser?

[MadameButterfly]

13. He doesn't have anyone competent working for him anymore

and he prefers cronyism to expertise (because he doesn't know everyone else isn't faking it).

[AverageOldGuy]

16. Excuse me , MadameButterfly:

Trump hires only the best!! He said so.

[MadameButterfly]

17. Oops, I forgot

[paleotn]

12. This whole thing is such garbage.

[IronLionZion]

14. Everything MAGA does has similar levels of greatness

Rain is forecasted today and tomorrow, and it rained last night so it's MAGA levels of muddy on the national mall

[AverageOldGuy]

15. What's all the pissing and moaning about?

Trump hires only the best, builds only the best. His golf tourneys, his state fairs — only the best!!!

Damn but you people will never be happy.




In cas u have not guessed : /s /s

[MarcoZandrini]

18. Another instance of...

…ETTD.

[mdbl]

19. Unless you are a twisted, bizarre and weird maga cult follower

There is no other reason to attend this idiocratic event.

[QueerDuck]

20. Trump was expecting a bright, sunny Rodgers and Hammerstein musical version of State Fair...

... but instead of Blue Ribbons, he ended up with a technical glitch-ridden production of Sweeney Todd --- just a lot of screeching microphones, a dwindling crowd, and a guy aggressively trying to sell everyone a bad bill of goods.

[chouchou]

21. I celebrated Trump's Great American State fair with a Bowel movement.

It was exciting.

[twodogsbarking]

22. That was moving.