President Donald Trump made the unorthodox proposal Saturday to replace the shrinking number of artists for the Great American State Fair concert with himself – claiming to have drawn audiences larger than “Elvis in his prime” – and in doing so, left several onlookers floored, including CNN’s Jake Tapper.
“Didn’t think this was a real post at first,” Tapper wrote Saturday in a social media post on X after seeing Trump’s online post floating the proposal.
Organized by the Trump-linked organization Freedom 250, the American State Fair unveiled several headliners recently for its live music concert, including Milli Vanilli, Flo Rider and Vanilla Ice. After learning of the event’s connections to Trump, however, “nearly all” have pulled out of the event.
The mass exodus of artists – which Trump described as them getting “the yips” – apparently sparked the president’s idea that he would be a viable replacement for the event’s entertainment, albeit a new event he dubbed “America is Back Rally” to take place at the same time and location, suggesting he would give a “major speech” in lieu of performing live music.
“The artists pulling out say this isn’t about the ‘yips,’ they say it’s about the perception that the festivity is partisan in nature,” Tapper continued. “Not sure this post will dispel that concern.”
Trump’s proposal drew mockery from a number of critics, including from several conservatives.
“Wow. He’s nuts,” wrote Michigan Republican Party strategist Jeff Timmer in a social media post on X.
And prominent far-right influencer Matt Walsh of The Daily Wire called the idea “lame and boring,” encouraging Trump to ditch the idea and “just go out and get real musicians.”
Didn’t think this was a real post at first.
Either way, the artists pulling out say this isn’t about the “yips,” they say it’s about the perception that the festivity is partisan in nature. Not sure this post will dispel that concern. https://t.co/ZRVpKbmrZihttps://t.co/gPxS5LcOPM
— Jake Tapper 🦅 (@jaketapper) May 30, 2026