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.

[mcar]

30. I thought same until trump, as usual, got his greedy debased hands on it

[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.

[Mr.Bee]

27. A Metaphor

For his adminestrone.

[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.

[AZLD4Candidate]

23. Going over like a flying turd. Singles of people showed up yesterda. Anti-Midas works his magic again. Womp womp

[twodogsbarking]

24. Vandals melted the ice cream. I can hear the words.

[oldinmtdem92]

25. a antifa plot

[jls4561]

28. If they also melted Vanilla Ice, they should be given a medal.

[twodogsbarking]

33. Ironically it wasn't Ice Cream at all. It was just ice with paint on it. Consider the source.

[oasis]

26. Will they have butter cow sculpture, or one of Trump?

And how will we know the difference?

[LilElf70]

29. I LOVE Trump failures.

Makes my day every time.

[RussBLib]

31. I heard the Ferris wheel...

…has no lights on it, and the power failed so it could not run. I wonder if it’s true? Spent several minutes looking for an answer but could not find one.

https://russblib.blogspot.com/?m=1

[BumRushDaShow]

34. The USA Today OP article mentions that near the bottom and included a link to someone's Xitter post about it

(snip)

Besides empty booths, the event has also been troubled by electricity problems. On Thursday, June 25, attendees reported issues with the generator, forcing the Ferris wheel, one of the fair's main attractions, to shut down for roughly two hours.

(snip)

Link to tweet

Kaela Cote-Stemmermann
@Kaela_CS
·
Follow
The Ferris wheel at the Great American state fair is DOWN. Operator told me due to generator issues and engine overheating. Unclear when it will be moving again, at least 1 - 2 hours they said.
image
6:06 PM · Jun 25, 2026

[orleans]

36. according to google, the wheel does have lights: (from google)

Yes, the 110-foot "Freedom 250" Ferris wheel at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (June 25 – July 10, 2026) is equipped with lights and features a prominently lit design.

Visibility: The Ferris wheel is a central attraction designed to be visible during the 16-day fair's evening hours, which run until 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. or midnight on the Fourth of July.

Lights: Social media posts from attendees and organizers showcasing the "Freedom 250" Ferris wheel highlight its illumination.

Atmosphere: The overall event is themed around a "red, white, and blue" aesthetic, contributing to a brightly lit, celebratory atmosphere on the National Mall.

Note: Reports on the opening day indicated some technical, power, and lighting issues with the fair's generators on June 25, 2026.

[RussBLib]

37. Thanks

The answer can depend on how the question is phrased. It didn’t make any sense to me to have an un-lit Ferris wheel, but that’s what a couple of people wrote online.

https://russblib.blogspot.com/?m=1

[orleans]

39. here's the question i asked google: does the trump state fair ferris wheel have lights n/t

[sakabatou]

32. Another failure, another waste of money

[Farmer-Rick]

38. A waste of space

No corn dogs, no waffle cones, no bouncy house, No high striker strongman challenge, no tea cup spin, no balloon darts, no largest squash competition or best hog, no pie or cake competitions, nothing there except the ferris wheel.

Did they let Melania organize it, or was it Musk, or maybe a 6 year old?

[orleans]

35. this from the atlantic

no paywall link
https://archive.is/VY0Ag

or
https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/06/great-state-fair-trump/687719/



"The Strange American State Fair
A dizzying showcase on the National Mall has Abraham Lincoln holograms, free Frosties, and a lot of Donald Trump."

[Zambero]

40. Like nothing you've ever seen

nothing