{"id":895663,"date":"2026-06-27T04:27:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T04:27:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/895663\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T04:27:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T04:27:21","slug":"trumps-freedom-250-cancels-vanilla-ice-concert-two-hours-before-showtime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/895663\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s Freedom 250 cancels Vanilla Ice concert two hours before showtime"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s Freedom 250 has canceled a concert performance by \u201cIce Ice Baby\u201d rapper Vanilla Ice two hours before he was set to take the stage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Freedom 250, the president\u2019s public-private organization tasked with throwing celebrations for the 250th anniversary of American independence, announced after 5 p.m. ET Friday that \u201cdue to inclement weather\u201d the \u201cGreat American State Fair,\u201d where Vanilla Ice was set to perform, will be closed for the rest of the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe safety of our guests, staff, and partners remains our top priority. We are actively monitoring conditions and will provide updates as they become available,\u201d Freedom 250 wrote <\/a>on X. The organization added that the fair will reopen Saturday at 10 a.m.<\/p>\n

Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Rob Van Winkle, called the event a \u201conce in a lifetime opportunity\u201d in an Instagram post<\/a> hours earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re about to have a great party tonight,\u201d the rapper said in a video on the National Mall, where he was set to perform on a massive stage. \u201cThis is gonna be epic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The White House-backed Freedom 250 canceled a concert from \u201890s rapper Vanilla Ice, among the last-standing performers who didn\u2019t drop out of the series, hours before it was supposed to start (Getty Images for Joyburst)<\/p>\n

In the caption, he wrote: \u201cOnce in a lifetime, happy birthday America. Put your dance shoes on. We\u2019re all gonna come together and be teenagers for the night.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear whether the concert will be rescheduled. The Independent has requested comment from Freedom 250 organizers.<\/p>\n

Virtually every artist who was scheduled to perform for at the concert series \u2014 including Martini McBride, The Commodores and Bret Michaels \u2014 dropped out of Freedom 250\u2019s lineup <\/a>shortly after it was announced.<\/p>\n

\"Vanilla<\/p>\n

Vanilla Ice, known for his hit \u2018Ice Ice Baby,\u2019 had called the event a \u2018once in a lifetime opportunity\u2019 shortly before it was canceled (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Vanilla Ice was the last artist standing for Friday\u2019s still-scheduled \u201cI Love the \u201890s\u201d concert, which originally featured Milli Vanilli, Young MC and C+C Music Factory.<\/p>\n

Young MC dropped out shortly after the lineup was announced, saying the artists \u201cwere never told about any political involvement with the event\u201d when they were booked. The musicians behind the lip-syncing duo Milli Vanilli said they never agreed to perform, and Freedom Williams, a rapper who owns the rights to use the C+C Music Factory name, said in a video defending his appearance that he \u201cdoesn\u2019t f*** with Trump\u201d before he also apparently backed out.<\/p>\n

Vanilla Ice told TMZ<\/a> last month that he\u2019s \u201cnot gonna get dragged\u201d into politics.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here to party with America, man,\u201d he said. \u201cMusic is made to bring people together, and that\u2019s what we are here to do. And we\u2019re just gonna represent the \u201890s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"After<\/p>\n

After several artists pulled out of performances at Freedom 2025\u2019s \u2018Great American State Fair,\u2019 Trump stepped in for a rally-style speech (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Once performers started pulling out, Trump stepped in, calling himself the \u201cNumber One Attraction anywhere in the World.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am thinking about bringing the Number One Attraction anywhere in the World, the man who gets much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime, and he does so without a guitar, the man who loves our Country more than anyone else, and the man who some say is the Greatest President in History,\u201d Trump said about himself in a Truth Social post <\/a>last month.<\/p>\n

Trump gave a political, rally-style speech<\/a> to kick off the \u201cGreat American State Fair\u201d Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

During the speech, the president raved about his renovation projects around Washington, D.C., including his massive and costly ballroom<\/a>, which is at the center of a legal battle after he demolished the East Wing to make way for the project. Trump also re-painted the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool that turned green from algae days after being completed <\/a>while freshly applied blue sealant appears to be cracking off.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor many years, our country was ruled by politicians who let America and its capital fall into decline and total disrepair. The city named in honor of General George Washington was turned into a national disgrace, but not anymore,\u201d Trump told a crowd of supporters Wednesday.<\/p>\n

The kick-off event also featured music from Lee Greenwood, who sang his famed song \u201cGod Bless the USA,\u201d and FBI Director Kash Patel\u2019s girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins<\/a>, sang the national anthem.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The fair suffered another hiccup on its opening week when a power outage at the food hall caused ice cream to melt (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Wilkins\u2019 performance was blasted online<\/a>, with one X user posting, \u201cYou can hear a better rendition at any high school ball game.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cancelations aren\u2019t only hiccups at Freedom 250 since the fair opened this week.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, a power outage struck the fair\u2019s food hall<\/a>, causing ice cream to melt in the summer heat, according to FOX 5 DC anchor Homa Bash.<\/a><\/p>\n