Great American State Fair opens to mixed reactions

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+ Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Great American State Fair opens to mixed reactions The massive state fair underway on the National Mall kicked off with a Trump campaign-style rally, and not all 50 states are taking part.

+ National Great American State Fair opens to mixed reactions June 26, 20264:45 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition By Rachel Treisman Great American State Fair opens to mixed reactions Listen &middot; 3:38 3:38 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5869320/nx-s1-9825955" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript The massive state fair underway on the National Mall kicked off with a Trump campaign-style rally, and not all 50 states are taking part. Is this Great American State Fair for everyone? Sponsor Message MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: A huge state fair is underway on D.C.'s National Mall to celebrate the country's 250th birthday. The event is run by a group with close ties to the White House, and not all 50 states are participating, which leaves some people wondering if the Great American State Fair is really for everyone. Here's NPR's Rachel Treisman.

+ RACHEL TREISMAN, BYLINE: President Trump kicked off the state fair with a speech on Wednesday night. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Tonight, as we stand on the edge of our 250th year of independence, I am thrilled to declare that America is back. (CHEERING) TREISMAN: The event sounded a lot like a Trump campaign rally. Lee Greenwood sang "God Bless The USA." Trump talked up his actions on everything from immigration to Iran, and he criticized his predecessor. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) TRUMP: The American dream is alive again. That's something that nobody thought they'd be saying when you went through that last four years of incompetence. TREISMAN: Kai Nujhen (ph) of Las Vegas was in the crowd that night and at the fair on Thursday morning. After riding the ferris wheel, he said the partisan tone of the rally didn't bother him. KAI NUJHEN: Whether you agree with the president or not, I thought the message centrally is that we're all Americans, and it was unifying. TREISMAN: That's what organizers hope for the 16-day state fair. RACHEL REISNER: This is a event for all Americans. I think anyone who stands on the mall today will see exactly what I'm talking about. TREISMAN: Rachel Reisner is a spokesperson with Freedom 250, the private public partnership that Trump created last year to spearhead such celebrations. She says the event is not partisan, but Congress had already created a bipartisan group for that purpose a decade ago called America 250. And Trump's preferred group has seemingly bypassed it, planning high-profile events like the Patriot Games, the state fair and the White House UFC fight. Here's Alan Zibel, a researcher with the progressive nonprofit Public Citizen. ALAN ZIBEL: The organization has really become quite political, quite commercial in taking corporate sponsorships with companies that have business before the president. TREISMAN: The fair takes up 10 blocks between the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building. There's a food court, merchandise, a rodeo and musical performances. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HEARTBREAKER") UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST: (Singing) You're a heartbreaker, dream maker... TREISMAN: Classical pavilions line the grass, dedicated to U.S. states and territories. Visitors can salsa dance in Puerto Rico, pick up Mardi Gras beads in Louisiana and milk a mechanical cow in Michigan. KEVIN CARPENTER: It's hard to imagine what every state has got something different to offer. TREISMAN: Kevin Carpenter (ph) from Mississippi visited roughly 40 booths. CARPENTER: Makes me want to travel more. TREISMAN: All of the booths had backdrops, but some were otherwise empty. That's because at least 10 mostly blue states decided not to send official delegations, citing cost. As Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey told GBH News earlier this month... (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) MAURA HEALEY: It's just ridiculous. TREISMAN: OK. HEALEY: This is taxpayer money. TREISMAN: At least one governor was there for opening day, Republican Mike DeWine of Ohio, shaking hands with visitors. MIKE DEWINE: Nobody's talking politics. They're talking of cool things they have in their state, and that's what they should be doing. But look, every governor has to make their own choice. TREISMAN: The uneven participation stood out to Josh White (ph), a high school teacher visiting from Vermont. JOSH WHITE: I can't help but feel that this is more reflection on a divide we have right now. TREISMAN: White said he approached the fair with an open mind, but... WHITE: I feel a little uneasy, to be honest to you. TREISMAN: He'd like to see more states acknowledge the darker parts of their past. The D.C. fair isn't their only chance, as many are planning local commemorations this summer. Rachel Treisman, NPR News. Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. 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