Visitors say Trump’s Great American State Fair feels apolitical

Overcast skies on Saturday did little to change the mood for visitors at the first weekend of Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair, where the politics of the event seemed far less visible than its Ferris wheel and food stalls. The 16-day fair opened on Thursday, June 25, and runs through July 10 on the National Mall, stretching from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument with the 1.5-mile promenade between them fenced off for the exposition.

The grounds were packed with food and culture booths from all 56 states and territories, federal agency displays in temporary halls, a 110-foot Freedom 250 Ferris wheel, and a scaled-down replica of Trump’s proposed triumphal arch. For many people walking the Mall, those details mattered more than the politics surrounding the event. More than a dozen attendees said they did not feel any political tint to the fair, even with Trump’s name attached to it and his administration pushing to remake Washington in his image.

Pamela L., 59, who came from Virginia Beach, said the fair had “just been all about America” and that she had not seen political elements. She added that people were being kind and enjoying the event. Her reaction matched what many visitors described on the fairgrounds: a conventional state-fair atmosphere set inside one of the country’s most symbolically charged public spaces.

That calm on the ground stood in contrast to the buildup around the event. Trump opened the fair with a campaign-style rally on Wednesday night after several scheduled performers dropped out, citing concerns that the event had become partisan. Martina McBride and Young MC were among the artists who withdrew. The first couple of days drew sparse crowds, leaving open the question of how the fair would look once the July 4 holiday week arrives.

Freedom 250, the organization behind the exposition, says the event was inspired by the World’s Fairs and was designed to showcase America’s past, present and future. It says all 50 states and six territories are represented, but seven states, all led by Democratic governors, declined to send official delegations. The fair also fits into Trump’s wider effort to reshape Washington during his second term, an agenda that has already encountered legal and physical setbacks, including a judge’s order involving Trump’s name at the Kennedy Center and problems with the National Reflecting Pool renovation.