Trump Held a Fair And (Almost) No One Came

June 30, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Great American State Fair on the National Mall was supposed to be a 16-day celebration of America’s 250th birthday, organized by Trump’s entity Freedom 250 after he effectively took over the bipartisan America 250 commission. The opening weekend was a disaster. Extreme heat, rain, and power outages hit the fair. The Ferris wheel broke for hours due to generator issues, food spoiled, and ice cream melted on the first day. Vanilla Ice canceled last minute despite previously saying he would perform rain or shine. Most musical acts had already dropped out. Ten states declined to participate. The sparse crowds were a stark contrast to the MAGA world’s online claims of success. Fox News was forced to do sweltering live shots in front of nearly empty fields. One attendee, a man named Manny, was arrested by Park Police for masturbating in front of an acrobat troop. The whole episode became a symbol of how Trump took a bipartisan, decade-in-the-making celebration and turned it into a partisan, poorly attended event. The original America 250 commission had planned events across the country with major concerts and craft makers. Trump redirected that funding to his own Freedom 250 entity, which has opaque finances and offers private receptions for million-dollar donors. Corporate sponsors include Northrop Grumman, UnitedHealth, and SpaceX. A dystopian robot dog roamed the grounds filmi

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What you'll learn

1 (01:28) **Trump's "Great American State Fair" Flops** - The 16-day exposition on the National Mall to celebrate America's 250th birthday is plagued by sparse crowds, extreme heat, power outages, and a masturbation incident.
2 (13:08) **Trump's Self-Aggrandizing Renovations** - Trump tours the East Potomac Golf Links and plans renovations despite a federal judge's warning, and is redesigning Lafayette Park to feature 47 maple trees in his honor.
3 (17:12) **Supreme Court: E. Jean Carroll, Geofencing, and Agency Firing** - The Court declines to throw out the $5 million verdict against Trump for sexual abuse, and rules that police need a warrant for cell phone location history.
4 (23:00) **Supreme Court: Presidential Firing Power and the Fed** - The Court splits on Trump's ability to fire officials, allowing him to fire FTC commissioners at will but protecting a Fed governor for now.
5 (30:00) **Supreme Court Upholds Mail-In Ballot Counting** - In a 5-4 decision, the Court rules Mississippi can count mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day but arriving after, preempting Republican challenges in other states.
6 (31:00) **Trump Threatens Bipartisan Housing Bill** - Trump threatens to veto the bipartisan housing bill unless the Save Act passes, but Mike Johnson sends it to him anyway, making it law in 10 days unless vetoed.
7 (39:50) **Democratic Party Debate Over DSA Wins** - The hosts discuss the internal party fight following DSA primary wins in New York and upcoming primaries in Colorado.

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Show Notes

Trump's "Great American State Fair" draws almost no visitors — except for a MAGA live-streamer who gets arrested for public masturbation. Jon, Tommy, and Lovett react to Fox News's cope-heavy coverage of the fair and then discuss Monday's Supreme Court rulings on independent agencies and mail-in ballots, Trump losing interest in Congress's housing bill, and the momentum Democratic Socialists are feeling after last week's primary wins in New York City. Then, Heather Williams, the president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, stops by the studio to talk to Jon about building Democratic majorities in state houses across the country.

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