Trump’s own MAGA backers torch his state fair 'disgrace'

A model of President Donald Trump's proposed triumphal arch during The Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., June 27, 2026. REUTERS/Daniel Heuer

President Donald Trump's Great American State Fair has been an ongoing disaster for all the reasons that bother him the most, and as The Telegraph highlighted in a new report, his own MAGA supporters are trashing the whole affair.

The fair kicked off on Thursday of last week and is planned to run for 16 days, serving as one of the centerpieces of Trump's planned festivities for America's 250th birthday. The event has been dogged by bad news for weeks now, however, with numerous musicians ditching plans for a free concert series after the event's explicit affiliation with Trump came to light.

The event has also drawn withering criticism and mockery for its sparse attendance and lackluster offerings, including a mock-up triumphal arch that is already falling apart. Speaking with The Telegraph for a report this week, even several Trump supporters expressed sadness over how the fair turned out.

“I grew up with state fairs in Iowa, and this is really disappointing,” Holly Lewis, a travel agent from Virginia, told The Telegraph. This should have been the highlight of my life. This should have been like the World Exposition. But most of the states are a bit of a disappointment. It would have been really good if FIFA had run this. This feels like a silent protest.”

“I think we would have had a lot more people if Trump wasn’t president,” another Trump supporter, Wiley Larsen, told the outlet, saying they "think he’s doing a lot of great things," but acknowledging that many others are unhappy with him.

Ari Drumm, a supporter from Florida, called the situation another case of “Trump Derangement Syndrome."

“It’s a disgrace,” Drumm said. “We should be together in this. We should be 50 United States and this is not very unified.”

Amy Cohen, a university administrator from Virginia who the report did not describe as a Trump supporter, also expressed profound disappointment over the state of the fair.

“This is all so weird,” Cohen said. “I am really sad and disappointed that what could have been an extraordinary celebration of the many, many things that make the United States a wonderful place was attenuated, reduced and flattened. It’s like reading a social studies textbook from the seventh grade. There’s so much vibrancy in the country, and this is unnecessarily vanilla. And there aren’t a lot of people here.”

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