{"id":4911,"date":"2026-07-01T18:35:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T18:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/07\/01\/a-storm-overpriced-food-and-a-sad-ferris-wheel-inside-trumps-dreadful-state-fair\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T18:35:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T18:35:10","slug":"a-storm-overpriced-food-and-a-sad-ferris-wheel-inside-trumps-dreadful-state-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=4911","title":{"rendered":"A storm, overpriced food and a sad ferris wheel: inside Trump\u2019s dreadful state fair"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"e88916d8-6c88-4f41-8df5-0a679948fa4f\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Aerial view of a large white Ferris wheel on the National Mall with crowds and structures around it\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/7bf0f0f54302a83fd6684bbccb193767e0ddd528\/506_0_5057_4046\/master\/5057.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372.0367807000198\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">The ferris wheel is seen in the distance during Donald Trump\u2019s Great American State Fair as seen from the Washington Monument in Washington DC on 30 June 2026.<\/span> Photograph: Alex Wroblewski\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"e88916d8-6c88-4f41-8df5-0a679948fa4f\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">The ferris wheel is seen in the distance during Donald Trump\u2019s Great American State Fair as seen from the Washington Monument in Washington DC on 30 June 2026.<\/span> Photograph: Alex Wroblewski\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<div class=\"dcr-19hyiet\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1iguxsh\"><a href=\"\/tone\/analysis\" class=\"dcr-e5rynu\">Analysis<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">A storm, overpriced food and a sad ferris wheel: inside Trump\u2019s dreadful state fair<\/h1>\n<div class=\"dcr-1ofjv3s\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ogy8bq\"><a rel=\"author\" data-link-name=\"auto tag link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/profile\/adam-gabbatt\">Adam Gabbatt<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1vosmfz\">\n<p>Attendance at the Great American State Fair is sparse and the heat is extreme, but at least you can pay $25 for a pretzel<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>This was originally published in This Week in Trumpland. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2024\/apr\/25\/election-newsletter-sign-up-stakes\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">I have been to some disappointing fairs in my time. There was one, in a small town in north-west England, where the main attraction was a little slide that you rode down on a burlap sack: except the guy who owned the slide had forgotten to bring the sacks, so me and my sister slid down on a T-shirt.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Another time, at a village fete in a place called Longton, I won the main prize at the bingo. It was a whisky decanter with a bottle of whiskey. I was 11 years old, the decanter was broken and some bigger boys took the whiskey. More recently, I looked on as two farmers engaged in a shouting match over whose pumpkin was larger at a fair in Iowa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Such exposure means I\u2019m probably better equipped than most to see the possibility in Donald Trump\u2019s Great American State Fair, but even given my breadth of bad fair experience, the Trump National Mall even sounds absolutely dreadful.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cA rather embarrassing flop,\u201d MS Now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ms.now\/rachel-maddow-show\/maddowblog\/great-american-state-fair-2026-trump-flop\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">wrote<\/a>. \u201cA big ol\u2019 dud\u201d, was the verdict of <a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2026\/07\/trump-great-american-state-fair-maha.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Slate<\/a>. \u201cTo put it simply, miserable,\u201d the New Republic <a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/article\/212455\/trump-great-american-state-fair-review\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">ruled<\/a>, while USA Today <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/opinion\/columnist\/2026\/06\/30\/great-american-state-fair-trump-attendance\/90741971007\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">said<\/a> witnessing the failure of Trump\u2019s fair is \u201clike watching your high school bully host a party that no one attends\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">What makes it so bad?<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Well for one thing, very few people seem to have been going. For another, the fair\u2019s signature attraction, a (quite small) ferris wheel, was <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/article\/everything-going-wrong-at-trumps-great-american-state-fair.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">plagued by power cuts<\/a> on the first day. And despite organizers\u2019 claims that 56 states and territories would be represented, each given their own booths at the event, several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/06\/11\/politics\/several-states-not-participating-trump-state-fair\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">declined to participate<\/a> due to cost.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The opening ceremony was meant to be a musical extravaganza, featuring acts including Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, The Commodores, Morris Day and the Time, Young MC, Flo Rida, but most of those performers pulled out, several saying they had been unaware the event would have a political undertone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Instead, people attending opening night got a performance from Trump: specifically, a campaign-style rally during which Trump trotted out his usual claims about how the US is the \u201chottest country anywhere in the world\u201d. (Ironically, the Virginia booth at the fair was closed on Tuesday <a href=\"https:\/\/13wham.com\/news\/nation-world\/-dc-washington-heat-wave-threat-storms-power-outages-holiday-crowds-national-mall-travel-america-250-july-4-stroke-threat-what-to-know-water-cool-medical-tents\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">due to extreme heat<\/a>, and the fair itself was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/pop-culture\/a\/bernadette-giacomazzo\/vanilla-ice-great-american-state-fair-concert-canceled-dc\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">forced to close early<\/a> on its second day, because of a storm.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Things got worse when a Confederate flag <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/politics-news\/confederate-flag-image-removed-north-carolina-booth-great-american-sta-rcna352203\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">had to be removed<\/a> from a booth at the fair, prompting one of the sponsors to drop out. Then there was more negative publicity as people found out how much <a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/212401\/food-prices-trump-great-american-state-fair\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">things cost<\/a> at the event: $25 for a pretzel, $23 for a turkey leg, $9 for a lemonade.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Against this backdrop, Fox News has valiantly tried to put positive spin on the fair, like White Star Line claiming people had enjoyed a very pleasant four days at sea before the Titanic hit that iceberg. The channel even broadcast live from the fair on Monday, the idea being to champion the event. But, as the journalist <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc\/post\/3mphfq5b4ms2e?ref_src=embed&amp;ref_url=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.ms.now%252Frachel-maddow-show%252Fmaddowblog%252Fgreat-american-state-fair-2026-trump-flop\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Aaron Rupar documented<\/a>, all that achieved was to prove that very few people were in attendance.<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\"><a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"#EmailSignup-skip-link-10\" class=\"dcr-76akua\">skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1tr4stg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-12qa5gp\">\n<hr class=\"dcr-1cjdlyj\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"EmailSignup-skip-link-10\" aria-label=\"after newsletter promotion\" role=\"note\" class=\"dcr-76akua\">after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">So what have we learned? Maybe the lesson is: don\u2019t try to throw a big celebratory fair when you are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/polls\/donald-trump-approval-rating-polls.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">a historically unpopular president<\/a>. Or: if you do host a fair, make sure it is a) good, and b) doesn\u2019t have a racist flag on display.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The fair is larger than the ones I went to as a kid. But you know what ? At least those ones were fun. And cheap. The sack\/T-shirt slide only cost 20p. The scar on my knee, sustained when friction caused the T-shirt to rip? That will last a lifetime.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/series\/the-stakes-us-election-edition\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">This Week in Trumpland<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/washington-dc\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Washington DC<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/analysis\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">analysis<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=A%20storm,%20overpriced%20food%20and%20a%20sad%20ferris%20wheel:%20inside%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20dreadful%20state%20fair&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/01\/donald-trump-great-american-state-fair?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fjul%2F01%2Fdonald-trump-great-american-state-fair&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/jul\/01\/donald-trump-great-american-state-fair\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-axwinp\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ferris wheel is seen in the distance during Donald Trump\u2019s Great American State Fair as seen from<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4913,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4911"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4911\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}