The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence kicked off on Thursday in Washington, D.C., but a few Democratic states say they will not send an official delegation to the Great American State Fair.
Various state officials offered several reasons as to why they were refusing to participate, and some did not give any rationale at all.
‘Frankly, you’ll never see anything like it, and you’ll never see anything like it again.’
According to Freedom 250, which is organizing the event, all 50 states and six territories will be represented at the fair. However, some states that have declined official participation cited cost as the reason.
Here are the states that have refused to participate officially, per Newsweek:
- Connecticut
- Illinois
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- North Carolina
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Washington
Hawaii is reportedly declining to participate as well.
Oregon’s Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek told KATU-TV that the state withdrew from the event because of “the cost of participating in the fair and growing concerns that the event in Washington, D.C., is shaping up to be a more partisan affair than originally presented.”
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, another Democrat, accused Trump of making the event partisan.
“This president routinely makes patriotism partisan and personal — and it shouldn’t be that way,” he said in an interview with the New Republic. Pennsylvania is still participating in a private capacity after pressure from U.S. Sens. John Fetterman (D) and Dave McCormick (R).
The event faced a minor setback when nearly all of the music groups and singers decided to drop out after initially agreeing to perform. Some claimed to have been misled about the nature of the celebration.
“I asked lots of questions and was assured this was a nonpartisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states,” Martina McBride wrote after pulling out.
RELATED: Trump announces ‘Patriot Games’ high school athletic competition for 250th anniversary of founding
Some of the events scheduled for Monday at the fair included a pancake-eating contest and appearances by actor Dean Cain, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, and commentator Michael Knowles.
The celebration at the Capitol will conclude on July 10 with the largest display of fireworks ever, according to Trump.
“Frankly, you’ll never see anything like it, and you’ll never see anything like it again,” he said in Dec. 2025.
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