Reviews of the state fair

[struggle4progress]

... More than anything, the event lacked energy—and people. There wasn’t any line or wait to get in. The vibe was more conference-like than celebratory, and the state exhibits varied wildly in effort and presentation. Utah and Guam had particularly involved setups, while others like South Carolina felt totally sterile. Connecticut and Maine shared a space that looked like the waiting room of a pediatrician’s office, while Hawaii and Alaska didn’t have anyone attending to visitors. There were $25 pretzels, an AI George Washington, an interactive “Loyalist or Patriot?” test, and a whiteboard wall full of messages from attendees, one of which read “a felon and predator resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave!!” ... https://newrepublic.com/article/212455/trump-great-american-state-fair-review

... Right as I was about to crack open a bag of potato chips from Michigan, with “Take Me Home, Country Roads” stuck in my head from a karaoke video game in the West Virginia booth, I wandered into the State Department pavilion, where I was offered a paper replica of the limited-edition Trump passport ... https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/06/great-state-fair-trump/687719/

... Karoline Leavitt made an appearance at President Donald Trump's Great American State Fair, but it didn't appear like too many others did the same ... https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/karoline-leavitt-photo-highlights-sparse-022039114.html

... “I’ve seen graveyards with more people,” a user commented. Another added, “there were more people in line for the Trader Joe’s summer tote bags” ... https://www.fastcompany.com/91567032/great-american-state-fair-empty-attendance-dc

[buzzycrumbhunger]

1. The flops just keep on comin'!

There’s not even enough activity to merit an “assassination” attempt!

[Eliot Rosewater]

2. OT the people at Social Security telling you they are running out

Faster than they thought, were appointed trustees by Donald Trump. They are lying.

I talked about this a long time ago that they were going to lie about it and say that the money was gone and that’s what they’re doing now. There are issues that can be solved but anything you hear from Social Security now is a lie. They are all Trump appointees.

[oasis]

3. Ha! Even the guy with the disappearing act went

missing!

[Cha]

4. ... "I've seen graveyards with more people"

Great analogy

TY!

[ColoringFool]

5. REASONS TO AVOID: 1.) Trump and MAGA; 2.) Heat & Humidity!!; 3.) The.....

Physical lay-out: State booths only around the perimeter, with a HUGE green expanse to cross as a "shortcut";

4.) Expensive food and cheap exhibits;

5.) One ride: a scary-big ferris wheel;

6.) No decent entertainment, let alone world-class;

7.) No easy method of arrival, never mind any kind of free dedicated service provided at the train station (to my knowledge); and lastly,

8.) NOBODY CARES! Not about this "fair," not about going to DC, and not about "250 years."

250 years that have led to what? The Worst Court just gave Trump power that 2️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ years ago Team Jefferson wrote belonged to Congress!

Millions of us are just hoping we and the country make it to 253.

Well, "we -1."

[tanyev]

6. If they really want people to show up, they need to get Donny in a dunking booth.

Heck, even a fake Donny in a dunking booth would be pretty popular.

[calimary]

9. Well, now that you mention it, that sounds intriguing!

I think I’d try it out, myself!

[Kid Berwyn]

7. Don't forget the MAGA wanker!

MAGA PERVERT! Police arrest a spectator in an Uncle Sam costume for "lewd acts" in public at Trump's failing State Fair

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221332128

He may be the only MAGAtt in DC who actually knows what he is doing.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

8. MaddowBlog-Trump wants people to 'appreciate' his Great American State Fair flop

The president is looking for public gratitude in the wake of failure. He is likely to wait a long while.

It’s a problem that Trump’s “Great American State Fair” is an embarrassing flop.

Watching him ask people to “appreciate” his failure, however, makes the problem worse.
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-06-30T20:15:06.252Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/great-american-state-fair-2026-trump-flop

When Trump headlined his own event last week to kick off the festivities, turnout was abysmal, and many attendees were seen leaving in the middle of the president’s campaign-style speech.

In the days that followed, the troubles intensified. NOTUS reported:

The 110-foot-tall Ferris wheel, a main attraction at the Great American State Fair for the country’s 250th anniversary, shut down for a couple of hours due to lack of power. The ice cream melted, but Iowa’s butter cow survived. And a display of the Confederate flag was removed from North Carolina’s booth after Gov. Josh Stein condemned the vendor for putting it up.[/blockquote]

The same report referred to “power outages” and “almost-empty or understaffed booths” before adding, “Rodeos and baby farm animals drew crowds but the fair appeared sparsely attended; there were no lines to get in, the lawn was fairly void of people and entertainers outnumbered guests at points.”

....Fox News has done its part to try to promote the gathering, even broadcasting live from the fair, but that apparently hasn’t helped. It’s easy to see the absence of attendees behind the on-air hosts and guests.

Every Fox News live shot today from Trump's post-rapture-like fair on the National Mall has been hilarious. Here's a supercut:

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-06-29T21:12:57.959Z

And did I mention that the event features a poorly made replica of the “triumphal” arch that Trump is so excited about? Because that’s an issue, too.

Everyone is talking about Trump’s mock up arch at the Great American State Fair, so I filmed it from top to bottom and front to back for everyone who can’t see it in person.

— amanda moore 🐢 (@noturtlesoup17.bsky.social) 2026-06-28T21:11:48.282Z

.....But it’s not quite that simple. For one thing, he’s the one who helped turned the event into a partisan affair. For another, he’s also the one urging people to “appreciate” his failure.