Trump’s state fair suffers latest meltdown as extreme heat suddenly shuts it down
President Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair was closed down on Friday afternoon amid the blistering heat in Washington, D.C.
“Due to the heat, and in coordination with public safety officials, the Great American State Fair will be temporarily closed until 5:00 p.m. today,” Freedom 250, the Trump group in charge of the fair and other celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary of independence, wrote on X Friday.
It was nearly 100 degrees in D.C. shortly after 1 p.m. ET.
“The safety and well-being of our guests, volunteers, performers, vendors, and staff is our highest priority. Conditions are expected to improve later this afternoon, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back at 5:00 p.m. as preparations continue for this evening’s festivities,” event organizers wrote.
Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin described the conditions on the National Mall where the fair is being held.
“Everyone is being asked to go to the exits,” Melugin wrote on X. “It is miserably hot and humid today, genuinely feels like a sauna when you step outside.”
Selina Wang, senior White House correspondent for ABC News, posted a video on social media of loudspeakers broadcasting for guests to “proceed to the nearest exit” across the empty fairgrounds.
Freedom 250 said in another social media post that complimentary water will be available Friday night as guests enjoy musical performances from opera singer Hugo Castillo, Grammy-winning music educator Mickey Smith Jr. and The Voice’s Grace Moody Miller.
Almost every big-name artist who was originally scheduled to perform at Freedom 250’s concert series — including Martina McBride, The Commodores and Bret Michaels — dropped out over concerns that the series had become political and divisive.
Event organizers are also hosting the third night of the “Washington Monument Illumination” in the hours before July 4.
State fair visitors can view the D.C. landmark light up with an “18-minute projection-mapping presentation showcasing the people, places, moments, and ideals that have shaped the American story across nearly two and a half centuries,” according to Freedom 250’s website.
Friday’s temporary shutdown is not the first heat-related issue that the fair has experienced. On opening day last week, a power outage that struck the fair’s food hall caused ice cream to melt in the scorching summer weather, according to FOX 5 DC anchor Homa Bash.
Inclement weather also caused event organizers to cancel “Ice Ice Baby” rapper Vanilla Ice’s fair performance last Friday, just two hours before he was set to take the stage.
Another dilemma that event organizers have been grappling with is low attendance.
