President Donald Trump treated the kickoff of the Great American State Fair as a victory lap for the U.S. and himself. In a speech on the National Mall, Trump declared that America is back and respected by everybody.
Event Details
The 16-day exposition, organized by Freedom 250, a public-private partnership created by Trump, marked the beginning of a modern-day world’s fair to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. Several musical artists had pulled out of the event, citing concerns about its political nature.
Trump spoke from behind bulletproof glass on a stage decked out in Freedom 250 and Great American State Fair signage. The U.S. Marine Band accompanied country singer Alexis Wilkins as she performed the national anthem. Trump also recognized the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding to end the U.S. war in Iran.
Trump’s speech was unusually short, lasting about 30 minutes, and stuck to familiar talking points. He briefly touched on a hot-button cultural issue, saying that the U.S. had banned pediatric gender treatments and made it official policy that there are only two genders – male and female.
Attendee Reactions
People began arriving for the kickoff in the late afternoon, grabbing American flag placards and seats on the lawn. Some attendees expressed disappointment at the lack of alcohol available at concession stands. Roughly half of the crowd wore Trump’s slogans or likeness on their clothes.
One attendee, Edward X. Young, said it was his 116th Trump rally and that he believed in President Trump. Another attendee, Shannon Silveri, viewed the night as a nonpartisan celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
Original reporting: NBC10 Boston — read the source article.
