Donald Trump Slams Musicians Who Dropped Out of Freedom 250 Concert, Calling Them ‘Third-Rate Artists’
Donald Trump criticized several artists who withdrew from the Freedom 250 concert series, calling them “third rate artists” in a Truth Social post and suggesting he could replace the planned entertainment with his own event. In the post, Trump said he was considering bringing what he described as the “Number One Attraction anywhere in the World” and said he could deliver a “major” speech aimed at rallying the country forward.
Trump also proposed an “America is Back” rally for Wednesday, June 3, at the same Washington, D.C., location and time originally tied to the event. He framed the gathering as a patriotic celebration and said he wanted only “happy,” “smart,” and “successful” people around him. He described the United States as transformed from being “dead” two years ago to being the “hottest” country anywhere in the world.
The comments came after a series of performers, including Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, Morris Day & The Time, Young MC, and The Commodores, dropped out of the concert series, which is scheduled to run from June 25 to July 10. Several of the artists said they had been misled about the nature of the event when they agreed to participate.
McBride said in an Instagram post that she believed she had been offered a chance to perform at a nonpartisan event, but later learned that was not the case. Young MC similarly said the artists were never told about any political involvement and later described the situation as a “bait-and-switch.” Michaels said he was backing out because the event had become “much more divisive” than he had agreed to join.
Michaels also said he and his band had received threats because of their decision to perform. Despite the withdrawals, Vanilla Ice and Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli remain listed as confirmed performers. Flo Rida has not yet said whether he will still take part.
The dispute has turned the concert series into a public controversy, with the president now floating a possible replacement rally at the same site.
