Fact Check: Was Trump forced to cancel the Great American State Fair over Antifa threats?
WASHINGTON, DC: Following the cancellation of the ‘Great American State Fair,’ a rumor began circulating on social media platforms claiming that President Donald Trump was forced to cancel it after artists began receiving threats against their families from Antifa, sparking outrage and speculation.
Let us analyze the origins of the rumor and fact-check the claim.
Claim: 'Great American State Fair' was cancelled due to 'Antifa' threats
According to the viral claim, the Great American State Fair concerts that had to be canceled were the victim of an elaborate Antifa plot, as shortly after the artists were announced, they began receiving credible threats against their families.
The post claims that Morris Day told the FBI that he was sent a video of his grandson, Joseph Day Barron, along with a note that said, "Play that show, and this is the last time you'll ever see him."
The post further claims that similar threats containing detailed personal information were reportedly sent to the other performers, though Flo Rida and Vanilla Ice were said to have refused to back down.
"I'm stacked to the teeth," Rida allegedly said, "And I know my boy 'Nilla (Vanilla Ice) is too."
Fact Check: The claim originated as a satire
The rumor, however, is false, as several artists withdrew from the event due to its ties to Trump, and there is no credible evidence that the fair was canceled after they received threats from Antifa.
A search on Google for relevant keywords showed no credible reports from prominent news media outlets. Similarly, there are no reports supporting the claim about Morris Day’s remark to the FBI or Flo Rida’s statement.
Moreover, Antifa is more of a social movement than a registered organization with active membership.
The claim was intended as satire, as it originated on a Facebook parody account called ‘America’s Last Line Of Defense,’ which describes itself in its bio as ‘Nothing on this page is real.’
Trump pushes for MAGA rally over concert
Announcing the cancellation, Trump posted on Truth Social that the America 250 concert should be canceled and replaced with what he described as a “giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY.”
In the post, he criticized the performers who withdrew, calling them “overpriced singers” whose music was “boring” and complained that they “do nothing but complain.”
He wrote, "Cancel it, just like I canceled my involvement with the failing and unsafe to be in Kennedy Center, because a Highly Conflicted, Crooked Federal Judge, said that I should not be allowed to spend my time and money in order to MAKE THE CENTER GREAT AGAIN, actually, far greater than it ever was before!”
