CNN host Kaitlan Collins revealed Wednesday that President Donald Trump was so "enraged" by the poor attendance at his Great American State Fair that loyalists swiftly deleted photos exposing the sparse crowds. Collins discussed the matter on "The Source" with Karen Finney, former senior adviser to Hillary Clinton, and former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) after social media images and news coverage highlighted the fair's unpopularity.
Deleted Aerial Images
Collins stated, "The president and his allies have taken over the events and the planning of them. When it comes to crowd expectation, though, we were told that the aerial image of the crowds from his rally last week enraged him so much that officials ended up deleting them." The fair, held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., aims to celebrate the country's 250th anniversary and kicked off last week with a Ferris wheel, equestrians, and historical reenactment photo booths — all overshadowed by photos showing its apparent lack of popularity.
Trump's Boasts vs. Reality
Trump himself has boasted about how "packed" the fair has been. However, Kinzinger noted that the event was curated by Freedom 250, a self-described "nonpartisan" organization Trump created last year by executive order, as opposed to America 250, the organization Congress voted for in 2016. A flurry of musicians dropped out of the event's lineup in the days before it began. "When Trump took over, he created Freedom 250 and a competing organization where donors aren't disclosed," Kinzinger said. "There's many corporate donors that are trying to get into favor with the president, and he has clearly made this all about him."
A Celebration of Trump
Kinzinger continued, "And when you make it all about you, and you have about 30% approval rating in the country, it's not gonna surprise anybody when no one shows up to your celebration. And it's sad, Kaitlan, because I … remember seeing all the quarters from 1976." He recalled thinking during that year's bicentennial, "How cool it's going to be on the 250th anniversary," only for the moment to arrive and confirm, "It's a celebration of Trump now." Finney argued the poor attendance is "a metaphor" for Trump's presidency. "I mean, think about this," she said. "The amount of money raised and spent on this event, think about what you could do. I think about the reports that came out about kids who are being kicked off of SNAP, people who are seeing their health care benefits ... being reduced. And yet we're hearing this president has made billions of dollars in his own pocket."
Financial Context
Trump's "big, beautiful" bill is projected to kick millions of people off of Medicaid and imposes strict eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program. A financial disclosure form shows he earned $1.2 billion last year from his cryptocurrency ventures. Collins has been on the receiving end of Trump's wrath on multiple occasions for merely asking questions during White House press gaggles. New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman noted last week that Collins is currently "the only person really challenging him." The Great American State Fair is expected to run until July 10 — despite lacking attendance.
