Former President Donald Trump has proposed replacing the United States’ 250th anniversary concert with a massive “Make America Great Again” rally. Trump criticized the planned star-studded event, describing the performers as “boring” and “overpriced,” claiming that “nobody wants to hear” them.
Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday night to express his disapproval of the Freedom 250 concert, urging for its cancellation. He likened the situation to his ongoing contentious dispute with the Kennedy Center.
“We should host a massive MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY for the 250th anniversary, instead of having overpriced singers whose music is dull and who do nothing but complain,” Trump wrote. “Cancel it, just like I distanced myself from the faltering and unsafe Kennedy Center.”
Trump’s comments come amid his claims that the Kennedy Center is facing difficulties, following a federal judge’s decision to halt his plans to revamp the renowned Washington arts venue.
This bold statement is the latest development in the unraveling plans for the country’s 250th celebration, originally set for next month. The event has been plagued by performers withdrawing en masse, fueled by political controversies and mounting security concerns.
The extraordinary outburst marks the latest twist in the rapidly unraveling celebrations planned for America’s 250th anniversary next month, with performers abandoning the event in droves amid political backlash and security concerns.
Trump also used the post to lash out at US District Judge Christopher Cooper, who ruled Friday the administration could not proceed with plans to close the Kennedy Center for sweeping renovations and that officials had no authority to add Trump’s name to the landmark institution.
‘The Kennedy Center is broken, unsafe, and $busted, and has been for many years!’ Trump wrote. ‘So now, the Kennedy Center will collapse, both structurally and financially.’
President Donald Trump called for America’s 250th birthday concert to be scrapped and replaced with a giant ‘MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY’
In a Truth Social post Saturday night, Trump blasted performers as ‘overpriced singers’ whose music is ‘boring’ and who ‘do nothing but complain’
Trump said he wanted to cancel the concert ‘just like’ he canceled his involvement with the Kennedy Center following a federal court ruling
The president accused Cooper of preventing him from carrying out what he described as a plan to restore the venue and said the judge ‘should be IMPEACHED.’
The ruling represented another legal setback for Trump’s efforts to leave a lasting mark on Washington’s cultural landscape.
Cooper concluded that the Kennedy Center board had exceeded its authority when it approved adding Trump’s name to the institution and halted plans to shut down the venue for a multi-year renovation project.
Trump had already signaled he was walking away from the project following the decision, saying he would return control of the institution to Congress rather than continue fighting restrictions on what he could do with the center.
Now he appears ready to apply the same logic to America’s 250th birthday concert.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump floated replacing the music festival with a massive rally while making himself the new headliner.
Trump, 79, called himself ‘THE GOAT’ – which stands for the greatest of all time – and said he would take over the birthday event.
In a long Truth Social post earlier on Saturday, he dubbed himself the ‘Number One Attraction anywhere in the World’ and compared himself to Elvis Presley.
President Trump has said that he was headline a celebration to commemorate America’s 250th birthday
Trump has likened himself to being more popular than Elvis was in his prime as he proposed to cancel America’s birthday concert and turn it into a rally with him headlining instead
Trump said unlike The King, who needed a guitar to wow his fans, all the President needs is a microphone and a good speech to get ‘much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime,’ he wrote
Trump said unlike The King, who needed a guitar to wow his fans, all the President needs is a microphone and a good speech to get ‘much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime,’ he wrote.
Although viewers will not get to see Trump don a sparkly one-piece or see him showcase his vocals, instead he said he plans to give a speech at the rally.
‘I am ordering my Representatives to look at the feasibility of doing an AMERICA IS BACK Rally,’ he wrote on Truth Social. ‘Same time, same location. Only Great Patriots invited – It will be a Wild and Beautiful Celebration of America!’
The Republican said he would ‘take the place of these highly paid, Third Rate ‘Artists,’ and give a major speech, rallying the Country forward like I have done ever since being President!’
‘Two years ago, the United States was DEAD. Now we have the ‘HOTTEST’ Country anywhere in the World,’ he wrote.
‘I don’t want so-called ‘Artists’ that get paid far too much money, who aren’t happy. I only want to be surrounded by Happy People, Smart People, Successful People, and People that know how to WIN.’
His Saturday outburst comes after several artists dropped out of the concert due to backlash and threats.
Saturday’s outburst comes after several artists dropped out of the concert due to backlash and threats, including Poison front man, Bret Michaels
Poison front man Bret Michaels said late Thursday that he had jumped at the chance to honor the nation, only to pull out, fearing for the safety of his relatives, friends and bandmates.
He joins Morris Day, Young MC, the Commodores and Martina McBride, with five of the nine headline acts dropping out since the lineup was announced on Wednesday – and just a month before the music festival is due to kick off on the National Mall.
The remaining line-up of musicians, whose prime came and went decades ago – such as Vanilla Ice and C+C Music Factory – has sparked a flood of sarcastic comments on social media.
The artists say they were led to believe Freedom 250 was a nonpartisan commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, only to learn that it was tied to the Trump Administration.
Michaels said the event pitched to him by organizers had ‘evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of.’
The rocker, 63, said he had been sold on the idea that the concert was ‘a celebration of our country through music and a chance to honor our veterans,’ but the politics surrounding the event had put his family, friends and bandmates at risk.
‘Concerns have also been raised regarding the safety of my fans, band, crew, family and myself, including threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable,’ Michaels said in a statement.
Vanilla Ice has defended Trump’s concert as the rapper confirmed he is still taking to the stage during the festivities next month
He insisted: ‘This isn’t about politics. It’s about staying true to what I’ve always believed in. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. That’s one of the freedoms our veterans fought for and something I’ve always respected. But as a father, friend and bandmate, I have to take threats and safety concerns seriously.’
Michaels’s departure deepens the crisis for the event organizers, who are now left with just four acts: Vanilla Ice, Flo Rida, C+C Music Factory and Milli Vanilli.
Vanilla Ice has defended Trump’s Freedom 250 concert as the rapper confirmed he is still taking to the stage during the festivities next month.
The Ice Ice Baby hitmaker, 58, explained to TMZ on Friday that music should be bringing the country together and added the focus should be simply on celebrating the United States.
‘I’m here to party with America, man. Music is made to bring people together and that’s what we are here to do. And we’re just gonna represent the 90s.’
The star, whose real name is Robert Matthew Van Winkle, explained that he doesn’t ‘take anything too serious’ and added that he doesn’t ‘think anybody else should’ as well.
He continued that the intention is to ‘bring people together’ rather than being a ‘political thing.’
Trump is known to be a huge Elvis fan and this isn’t the first time he has compared himself to Elvis.
In 2018 Trump claimed people used to tell him he looked like Elvis Presley
Trump has long said that he gets told he looks like Elvis. The Republican posted the picture above in 2024 to prove in his point, asking his millions of followers, ‘What do you think?’
Trump referred to himself as ‘THE GOAT’ and said he made the US the ‘hottest’ country in the world
In 2018, he claimed people used to tell him he looked like the late musician.
‘Other than the blonde hair, when I was growing up they said I looked like Elvis… great compliment,’ Trump said at the 2018 event in Tupelo, Mississippi.
That same year, after awarding Elvis the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously, the President said he once attended one of the rock and roller’s concerts.
Later in 2024, Trump posted a picture of his face split with Presley’s, writing: ‘For so many years people have been saying that Elvis and I look alike. Now this pic has been going all over the place. What do you think?’
Earlier this year, Trump took a tour of Graceland, Elvis’s estate in Tennessee, where he bizarrely asked a staff member if they thought he could take Elvis in a fight.
The employee said the musician would have let the President win.
Ahead of the tour Trump, who had never personally met Elvis, joked that he considered lying about meeting the ‘King of Rock and Roll.’
Speaking in Memphis, Tennessee, to a group of law enforcement officers and National Guard troops, the President lauded the Memphis Safe Task Force for bringing down crime.
President Donald Trump joked at a Memphis Safe Task Force event before visiting Graceland in March that he should ‘fib’ about meeting the rock and roller despite the pair never crossing paths. He is pictured in the ‘jungle room’ at Graceland
Trump is pictured visiting Elvis’s home Graceland in March this year
During the remarks, Trump shared he was due to visit Graceland, the estate of the late rock and roll star, that day.
‘I’m going to see Graceland after this,’ Trump said. ‘I love Elvis. I never met Elvis. Everyone said, ‘Did you?’
‘I met [Frank] Sinatra. I knew all of them. I never met Elvis. Sometimes I feel I should tell little fibs that I knew him,’ Trump continued.
Trump campaign events have typically featured some of Presley’s most iconic songs, including ‘Suspicious Minds,’ ‘If I Can Dream,’ and ‘An American Trilogy.’
Trump’s post about the concert was one of many he made on Saturday, including praising New York Giants player Jaxson Dart, who recently introduced the President at a rally.
‘Thank you Jaxson! It was great being with you,’ he wrote.
‘I know you’re taking some heat from the Radical Left Lunatics who are jealous of you, me, and everyone who surrounds us, but I also know that your Jersey also went to Number One, and you’re making Millions of Dollars, so YOU ARE A WINNER – THEY ARE ALL LOSERS. I’ll see you in the White House!’
He also posted an AI image of him and New York Governor Kathy Hocheul playing a basketball game, where Trump is wearing a Knicks jersey and dunking on her.
‘PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP vs. Kathy Hochul, New York’s failed Governor who, if people are smart, will vote for Bruce Blakeman – He will, MAKE NEW YORK GREAT AGAIN!’ he wrote.
Trump made several posts on Saturday about various topics
In another sports-theme post, he called Tom Brady a ‘great player and great guy.’
He also posted several images showing children playing outside with the caption: ‘America is back!’
In a separate post, he posted a photo of a trash can where former President Barack Obama’s new Chicago library was supposed to be and a picture of him golfing.
