The Great American State Fair That Nobody Came To

The Ferris wheel was broken. The ice cream had melted. The food was rotting. And when a MAGA streamer named Dean Kane climbed to the top of that broken Ferris wheel to take a photo of the crowd, he captured maybe 33 or 34 people scattered across the National Mall. This was the "Great American State Fair" — Donald Trump's attempt to stage a massive patriotic celebration on the Washington Mall — and it had become a spectacle of emptiness so profound that even its supporters' photos proved the opposite of what they intended.

What Was Supposed to Happen

Before Trump took over the planning for America's 250th birthday celebration, the Smithsonian had secured millions in private philanthropy to host a month-long folk life festival on the Mall. According to a Smithsonian insider who spoke about the original plan, the event was going to feature well-known festivals like Burning Man and Farm Aid, the Grand Ole Opry, and smaller regional festivals from across the United States and territories. Major musical stars were willing to perform because the event carried the Smithsonian's banner. The money had been raised, the acts were lined up, the permits were ready.