Along with hyping the overwhelmingly Christian prayer event, Newsmax did what it could to promote President Trump’s planned concert to mark America’s 250th anniversary. Solange Reyner touted the largely washed-up acts in a May 27 article:
Freedom 250 on Wednesday announced the first wave of performers for the Great American State Fair, a multiday celebration set to take place on the National Mall from June 25 through July 10.
The lineup features a mix of pop, hip-hop, and R&B acts spanning several decades, including country singer Martina McBride, hip-hop artist Flo Rida, and rock musician Bret Michaels.
The fair will open June 25 with a performance by McBride.
June 26 will feature C+C Music Factory, Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli, and Young MC. The Commodores and Morris Day and the Time are scheduled to perform June 27, while Flo Rida will appear July 2 and Bret Michaels will perform July 3.
Almost as soon as the lineup was announced, however, acts began to drop out. When one key act withdrew, Reyner devoted an article to a Trump official’s tantrum about it:
Former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell criticized country music star Martina McBride after she announced she was withdrawing from an upcoming performance at the Freedom 250 concert series, accusing her of doing so because she’s left wing, hence anti-Trump.
“You’ve always been a woke Lefty,” Grenell wrote on X in response to McBride’s announcement.
The exchange followed McBride’s decision to pull out of the Freedom 250 Concert Series, which is scheduled to take place during the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C.
In a statement posted to X, McBride said she agreed to participate after being told the event was nonpartisan and intended to celebrate all 50 states.
“I will not be performing at the Great American State Fair on June 25th,” McBride wrote.
“I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading.”
McBride said she had asked organizers numerous questions before agreeing to appear and was assured the event was designed to unite Americans through music and a shared celebration of the nation’s states.
Reyner did not disprove any of McBride’s claims.
Jim Thomas reported on Trump’s tantrum over the withdrawals in a May 31 article:
President Donald Trump on Saturday night called for the Freedom 250 concert series to be scrapped, escalating a week of public feuding with the performers who walked away from the Trump-backed celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump pitched a “giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY” in place of the music lineup and tied his frustration to a federal judge’s Friday ruling stripping his name from the Kennedy Center.
The concert series, slated to run June 25 through July 10 on the National Mall as part of the 16-day Great American State Fair, lost six of its nine announced acts within 48 hours of the lineup’s rollout.
Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, Young MC, the Commodores, Morris Day and the Time, and Milli Vanilli all pulled out, several citing what they described as a misleading pitch that the event was nonpartisan. C+C Music Factory, Vanilla Ice, and Flo Rida remain on the bill.
The same day, Trump officials were trying to defend the event:
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Sunday defended a planned concert series tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration after several performers withdrew.
He said some musicians have “segmented their audiences” and he rejected criticism over the event’s funding and political nature.
“I can’t weigh into the politics of musicians because some musicians want to play music for everybody, and some musicians seem to have segmented their audiences the same way politicians have,” Burgum told CNN’s “State of the Union” host Dana Bash. “Freedom 250 and the celebration of 250 is a nonpartisan event.”
[…]Burgum said he did not know whether the concert series would ultimately be canceled.
He also defended the event’s funding arrangements and dismissed calls for public disclosure of donors supporting the celebration.
One of those acts ran to Newsmax to defend himself in a June 1 TV appearance:
Rapper Vanilla Ice defended his decision to perform at the upcoming Freedom 250 concert series, telling Newsmax on Monday that the event should be about celebrating the nation rather than politics.
His comments come after at least five acts withdrew from The Great American State Fair, a series of concerts and events scheduled for June 25 through July 10 on Washington’s National Mall as part of festivities tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary.
[…]“I mean, everybody has their own thing and their own response,” Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, told “Finnerty.”
“And I respect whatever they have and whatever pressure they’re dealing with or however they view it. It has nothing to do with me.”
Vanilla Ice returned for another Newsmax hit on June 10, still on defense:
Entertainer Vanilla Ice told Newsmax on Wednesday he has no worries about politics, and he’s happy to perform at America’s 250th anniversary celebration.
The rapper, whose real name is Rob Van Winkle, said that political finger-pointing is not for him.
“I don’t know anything about any of that, man,” he said on “Ed Henry: The Big Take.” “That’s all you guys.
“I just try to stay neutral and be the musician that brings everyone together.”
Mr. Ice went on to do a bit of Trump-fluffing as well:
While he stays away from political statements, he said he respects President Donald Trump.
“I mean, there’s nobody I’ve ever seen, you know, come back like that, and take on all of the stuff that’s thrown at him, you know, and he’s definitely inspirational,” the entertainer said. “I mean, wow, to be shot at and everything and want this job at all on your shoulders.”
He added that Trump could choose to be anywhere instead of the White House.
“As a billionaire, you could be out living it up and not being shot at and just shopping and enjoying the billionaire lifestyle. But instead, he’s doing this,” he said.
Nobody was allowed to rebut Mr. Ice.