WASHINGTON — Saturday’s partly cloudy weather didn’t deter visitors from the first weekend of President Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair, an event commemorating America’s 250th anniversary on the National Mall.
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The trade show featured food and cultural booths from all 56 states and territories, and even during a light rainy Saturday morning, federal agency exhibits were held in temporary halls lining several blocks of the mall, keeping attendees dry. In the center, a giant Ferris wheel stretches skyward, just beyond a miniature replica of the arch that Trump wants to permanently build in the nation’s capital.
The arch is one of the president’s signature projects to reimagine Washington, D.C., alongside his mission to repaint the Reflecting Pool and place his name next to former President John F. Kennedy at the Kennedy Center.
Some projects have faced legal challenges, and earlier this month, a federal judge ordered Trump’s name removed from the performing arts center. And the reflecting pool, which was supposed to be a shade of “Stars and Stripes Blue,” is facing physical challenges such as algae growth and peeling paint.
The state fair has been promoted by President Trump and members of his administration, who have been accused of injecting partisanship into a nonpartisan anniversary.
But more than a dozen attendees at the expo on Saturday (on both sides of the political aisle) told NBC News that they didn’t sense any political overtones in the atmosphere at the expo, even as President Trump seeks to redesign Washington, D.C., in his image and musical acts pulled out of the event.
“It’s kind of nice here because it’s all about America and not politics,” Pamela L., 59, who was visiting the nation’s capital from Virginia Beach on her husband’s annual birthday trip, who declined to give her last name, told NBC News. “People are just being people, and having fun. They’re being kind, opening doors, hugging each other. It’s so lovely to see.”
“We can’t go to every state, so the family jumped at the chance to attend the fair,” she added. “It’s kind of nice to see them represented.”
Nicole Briggs, 52, and Heather Hatter, 48, who also traveled from Virginia to see the fair with their children, told NBC News that they didn’t feel like any particular political view was being forced on attendees.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event for our generation,” Briggs said, adding: “I think it’s a great atmosphere. The atmosphere is great.”
“I think this is very patriotic and makes us proud of America and everything that America represents,” Hutter added as the announcer introduced Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Small Business Secretary Kelly Loeffler to a stage near the petting zoo.
The expo, which opened Thursday night with an opening ceremony hosted by the president, became the center of controversy late last month after several musical performers scheduled to perform during the expo pulled out, citing political concerns.
The 16-day event was organized by Freedom 250, a public-private partnership created by the Trump administration to hold events in the nation’s capital related to the nation’s half-decade. The group claims to be nonpartisan and is separate from America250, a group created by Congress a decade ago to prepare for the United States’ 250th anniversary.
Freedom 250 is organizing several other events this summer in Washington, D.C. and across the country, including the Sail 250, FIFA World Cup Fan Fest, the Fourth of July Salute to America fireworks display, and the Patriot Games later this fall.
On Thursday, the president opened the fair after a performance of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” telling mall attendees, “This anniversary is a time to be proud of our past, but it’s also a time to raise our sights, expand our ambitions, and raise our expectations for what America can become.”
His speech was preceded by a fighter jet overflight and a musical performance by a military band, as well as a partisan speech by Transport Secretary Sean Duffy, who mocked canceled musical acts, saying the band was “far better than those rioters who canceled us.”
Daniela Guerrero, 25, lives here and came to the state fair expecting to see a heavily Republican show.
“I think we’ve heard a lot in our community that it’s going to be like a MAGA rally,” she told NBC News, and her friend Grace Guber, 27, agreed, “100 percent.”
“I think this was very bipartisan,” Guerrero added. “The people who are coming are just tourists trying to celebrate freedom.”
Lloyd and Melinda Parris traveled to the nation’s capital from Georgia with their grandchildren on their way home from their grandson’s baseball game in New York.
Lloyd Paris, 76, told NBC News that what Mr. Trump did in Washington, D.C., was “amazing,” but “I didn’t come here for any particular political persuasion.”
“Even the previous president would have come,” his 71-year-old wife added, as they gazed at the row of Ferris wheels where their grandchildren waited for their turn.
Several states, including at least six led by Democratic governors, have refused to send delegations to the state fair, citing financial burden. At least one Democratic governor, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, cited partisan concerns.
A spokesperson for Kotek’s office told the Salem Statesman Journal that “Oregon will not participate in the Great American State Fair, both due to the cost of participating and due to growing concerns that the event in Washington, D.C., is becoming more partisan than it originally was.”
Lynn Frank, 52, who was visiting the capital from North Carolina, another state that did not send a delegation to the expo, said she was “incredibly disappointed” when North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein decided not to send a delegation.
“Everyone has things they do, and there are things they like and things they don’t like,” Frank added. “But for me, it means the state fair shouldn’t be political.”
