This article was originally published in Common Dreams under Creative Commons 3.0 license. Read the original article. Contact: editor@commondreams.org

By Stephen Prager

Artists slated to perform at the government-sponsored 250th-anniversary celebration of the nation next month are recoiling in horror and pulling out left and right upon learning of President Donald Trump’s involvement.

The lineup scheduled to perform at the “Great American State Fair”—which included the likes of Milli Vanilli, Vanilla Ice, and Poison vocalist Bret Michaels—was already getting dragged for what the Daily Beast described as a “lack of A-list musical talent” willing to perform for the president.

But some on the setlist apparently only agreed to participate because they were unaware of the president’s heavy involvement in planning the festivities, which will include—among other things—a UFC fight on his birthday, a teenage athletic competition that many compare to the Hunger Games, and an American history exhibit created by PragerU hosted by an artificial intelligence-powered George Washington.

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After just over a day, three acts—a full third of those announced—have already pulled out of the festival.

“I have informed my agents that I will not be performing at the Freedom 250 event,” said the hip-hop artist Young MC in a social media post on Wednesday, mere hours after the list of performers was published.

The rapper, who is most renowned for the 1989 classic “Bust a Move,” said “the artists were never told about any political involvement with the event. And despite the claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, Spin magazine describes it as ‘Trump-backed.’ I hope to perform in DC in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged.”

Morris Day and the Time, most known for their work with Prince, denied ever having been part of the festivities.

“Contrary to rumor, Morris Day & the Time will not be performing at the ‘Great American State Fair,’” they said. “It’s a no for me.”

“Gonna Make You Sweat” singer Freedom Williams of C+C Music Factory said he was surprised to start receiving phone calls asking why he was performing for Trump.

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He said his agent “didn’t say nothing about Trump” when he booked the performance months before. “So I told my agent, yeah, no, I ain’t good to do that… I don’t fuck with Trump. I don’t give a fuck about Trump. I know the type of fucking anarchy he creates.”

As its music festival falls apart, Freedom 250 has emphasized that it is technically an independent 501(c)3 and that the White House itself is not directly putting on the celebration.

However, the festivities are being coordinated by a White House Task Force created by Trump, and it has been relentlessly promoted on official White House social media channels.

Much of Freedom 250’s programming is also overtly MAGA-coded, from its wellness-focused “Make America Healthy Again Monday” to its numerous Christian prayer events.

[KS]

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