Jen Psaki, former White House press secretary and current MSNBC host, lambasted President Donald Trump's Great American State Fair as an "unmitigated disaster" plagued by sparse crowds and "absolutely bizarre entertainment choices." During her show, Psaki highlighted a clip where a man on stage defended the Salem witch trials, lamenting they "weren't organized enough" and suggesting they would have been better with "a grand inquisitor or something." She also showed footage of a stage collapsing during rehearsals for the Freedom 250's July 4th celebration.
Fox News Broadcasts Reveal Sparse Attendance
Psaki pointed out that Trump's favorite news channel, Fox News, broadcast live from the event all week, inadvertently revealing the low attendance. She played a supercut of Fox News broadcasts, instructing viewers to "pay very close attention to the live images of the National Mall behind the anchors while they are talking." In the clips, Fox News hosts touted the event as "the biggest party" and claimed "thousands of people" were there, insisting on "a wash of people" not visible on camera. However, the field behind them showed sparse crowds with very few people—a scene that reportedly "enraged" Trump.
A Reflection of the Trump Administration
Psaki emphasized that the fair's failures mirror the Trump presidency itself. "The reason I'm telling you this is not just to make fun of Donald Trump. The reason I'm telling you about it is because Donald Trump's celebration of America's 250th birthday is in many ways a reflection of the Trump administration itself," she said. She described it as "a bizarre two-bit right-wing circus that is deeply unpopular with the American people." Calling the event a "perfect encapsulation," she listed "the unpopularity, the poor execution, the focus on Trump and his ego, the rampant corruption and cronyism, the weaponization of justice" as hallmarks of his presidency.
$68 Million in Taxpayer Funds
Psaki also scrutinized the $68 million in taxpayer funds Trump spent on the event. She attempted to trace where the money went, noting that details about the administration's actions continue to emerge daily. The segment underscored the financial and reputational costs of the fair, which has become a symbol of Trump's governance style.
