While five artists canceled a concert scheduled for June 24 in Washington to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States, Donald Trump announced Thursday that he would hold a political meeting instead.
Published on: 05/06/2026 - 02:48 Modified on: 05/06/2026 - 08:56
Donald Trump declared Thursday June 4 that he would organize a political meeting on June 24 in Washington for the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States, instead of a concert shunned by many artists.
“We are going to offer you the biggest meeting of all time,” wrote the American president on his Truth Social network. “We don’t want singers without talent, with huge fees that put you to sleep, we all told them to stay at home,” added the Republican.
The concert seemed compromised since five artists initially scheduled withdrew last week, citing political tensions.
“Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country evolved into something much more divisive than what I had agreed to participate in,” Bret Michaels, singer of the group Poison, who was to perform there, said Thursday.
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Country singer Martina McBride also declined, saying she was asked to perform "at a nonpartisan event, but it turned out to be misleading." 80s rock star Bret Michaels and the Commodores also announced their withdrawal.
MMA tournament
Donald Trump had already mentioned on Saturday the idea of replacing the concert with a meeting, asking his teams to study "the feasibility" of such a gathering.
“All we want is you, me, a few speakers, and the greatest music ever played,” wrote Donald Trump confirming this change on Thursday, specifying the arrival of the famous conservative musician Lee Greenwood, whose hit “God Bless the USA” (“God bless the United States”) has already been punctuating his rallies for years.
Donald Trump clearly sought to leave his mark on this summer anniversary of the country's 250th birthday, in particular by scheduling a mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament on the lawns of the White House on June 14, his 80th birthday.
In a country which continues to produce some of the biggest international stars, the lineup for the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the United States of artists who had their hour of glory in the last century, such as the rapper Vanilla Ice, the group C + C Music Factory or the ex-duo Milli Vanilli (one of the two members died in 1998), had aroused a mountain of sarcasm on social networks.
With AFP
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