A visitor walks past a model of an archway replica of the World War Two Memorial at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 25, 2026. REUTERS/Tom Brenner
The first day of President Donald Trump's "Great American State Fair" did not go to plan, after a power outage knocked out the food hall on the National Mall, according to The Daily Beast.
The Thursday blackout left dessert vendors watching their stock melt, Fox 5 DC reporter Homa Bash reported on X, writing that the hall still had food but that all of its ice cream had melted. Stuffed pretzel rolls priced between $12.48 and $24.96 were also affected, USA Today reported, with workers saying it took about 30 minutes to reheat them once power returned.
The Beast reported that opening-day options included a $23 turkey leg, a $20 smash cheeseburger, a $20 western sausage and a $9 lemonade.
The 16-day event, organized by the Trump-aligned nonprofit Freedom 250, is meant to mark the nation's 250th anniversary. Freedom 250 CEO Keith Krach said in a release that food is "one of the great unifiers of the American experience."
The outage followed a rocky kickoff.
Trump claimed 45,000 people attended his Wednesday rally, though independent estimates put the figure far lower, and footage showed a sparse crowd. Several musical acts had already withdrawn from the lineup, prompting Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to brand them "lib---ds" in a warm-up speech.
The fair also sits less than a mile from Trump's more than $14 million Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation, which turned green with algae after being painted "American flag blue." Trump has blamed the discoloration on vandals without providing evidence, and the pool is set to be redrained after July 4.
Food hall at Great American State Fair has lost power - they have food but tell me all their ice cream has melted 😭 pic.twitter.com/5sQXOEvUVl
— Homa Bash (@HomaBashNews) June 25, 2026