{"id":1260,"date":"2026-07-01T02:29:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T02:29:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/?p=1260"},"modified":"2026-07-01T02:29:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T02:29:14","slug":"the-great-american-state-fair-is-boring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/the-great-american-state-fair-is-boring\/","title":{"rendered":"THE GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR IS BORING!!!!"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"grid-col\n\t\tgrid-col-12\n\t\ttpl-article__layout\n\t\ttpl-article__layout--header\n\t\t\" data-test=\"article-header\"><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"e-headline u-heading-1    \" data-test=\"headline\">Trump\u2019s Great American State Fair is a sad state of affairs<\/h1>\n<p class=\"e-standfirst u-heading-4  \" data-test=\"standfirst\">Deflated visitors describe event on National Mall as \u2018unnecessarily vanilla\u2019 and a \u2018disgrace\u2019<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"grid-col\n\t\t\tgrid-col-12\n\t\t\tu-full-bleed\n\t\t\tu-full-bleed--reset-sm\n\t\t\ttpl-article__lead-asset\n\t\t\t\" data-lead-asset-layout=\"small\" data-test=\"article-lead-asset\"><\/p>\n<figure class=\"article-body-image section\" data-js=\"article-body-image\" data-test=\"article-body-image\">\n<div class=\"article-body-image__container\"><picture class=\"picture--block   \">\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-body-image__source\" src=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000493188261_17828388214730_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqeK8ehqBZJSTiVTgumtathf4Xpit_DMGvdp2n7FDd82k.jpeg?imwidth=640\" alt=\"An image from the fair's opening day on June 25 shows one visitor lain low by the festivities \" width=\"2500\" height=\"1567\" data-test=\"article-body-image-source\" \/> <\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"e-caption u-meta e-caption--has-separator e-caption--hide-small-screens  \" data-js=\"caption\"><span data-test=\"caption\"> An image from the fair\u2019s opening day on June 25 shows one visitor lain low by the festivities\u00a0 <\/span> <span class=\"e-caption__credit\" data-test=\"credit\"> <span class=\"e-caption__credit-description\">Credit<\/span>: Getty Images <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col\n\t\t\t\t\tgrid-col-12\n\t\t\t\t\ttpl-article__layout\n\t\t\t\t\ttpl-article__layout--content\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\" data-js=\"article-body\" data-test=\"tpl-article-body-recipe\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"tpl-layout__mobile\">\n<div class=\"tpl-layout__mobile-byline\"><span class=\"e-byline e-byline--multi e-byline--article \" data-test=\"byline-wrapper\" data-track-wrapper=\"byline-author-link\"><span class=\"e-byline e-byline--multi \" data-test=\"byline\"><span class=\"e-byline__meta \" data-test=\"byline-meta\"><span class=\"e-byline__details \"><a class=\"e-byline__link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/authors\/r\/rk-ro\/robert-mendick\/\" rel=\"author\" aria-label=\"Robert Mendick\" data-test=\"byline-link\" data-track-txt=\"txt\" data-track-destination=\"\/authors\/r\/rk-ro\/robert-mendick\/\">\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"e-byline__rich-bio--content is-ready\" data-test=\"byline-rich-bio\" data-js=\"show-more-content\" data-track-wrapper=\"byline-rich-bio\">\n<p>\u00a017 years at The Telegraph, Robert has covered the UK&#8217;s major news events and has reported widely abroad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e-byline__date\">\n<div class=\"article-dates\" data-test=\"article-dates\">\n<div class=\"article-dates__row\" data-test=\"article-dates-row\"><span class=\"article-dates__label\" data-test=\"date-label\">Published <\/span> <time class=\"article-dates__time \" datetime=\"2026-06-30T18:48+0100\" data-test=\"time\">30 June 2026 6:48pm BST <\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"articleBodyText section\">\n<div id=\"advert_tmg_nat_story_top\" class=\"js-advert advert js-advert-observed\" data-adtype=\"nat_story_top\"><iframe id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/6582\/tmg.telegraph.us\/us.news_4\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div class=\"component article-body-text    \" data-test=\"article-body-text\">\n<p>Who knew that Kansas ranked fourth in the US for sunflower production, or that Georgia has been number one for poultry farms since 1951? Or that Montana\u2019s official state sport is rodeo?<\/p>\n<p>There are endless facts to be gleaned from four hours trudging around the Great American State Fair, and some of them are vaguely interesting. If this sprawling event had been the dream child of Alan Partridge, nobody would raise an eyebrow.<\/p>\n<p>But this is <a class=\"ck-custom-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s contribution to <a class=\"ck-custom-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/us\/news\/2026\/05\/29\/trumps-america-birthday-acts-drop-out\/\">America\u2019s 250th birthday celebrations<\/a>, and the result is often achingly, numbingly dull.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s missing is all the things Mr Trump is known for: pizazz, glitz and showmanship. Instead, what the great American public is being served up is the one thing he doesn\u2019t do so much of: facts, endless facts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"article-body-image section\" data-js=\"article-body-image\" data-test=\"article-body-image\">\n<div class=\"article-body-image__container\"><picture class=\"picture--block article-body-image__source  \"><source srcset=\"\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000492256450_17828371729350_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqJoJJwbSFFB6FIbXJ7mwEDFfJF0EM4dK0APHdPHIua_0.jpeg?imwidth=960\" media=\"( min-width: 1280px )\" \/><source srcset=\"\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000492256450_17828371729350_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqJoJJwbSFFB6FIbXJ7mwEDFfJF0EM4dK0APHdPHIua_0.jpeg?imwidth=680\" media=\"( min-width: 768px )\" \/><source srcset=\"\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000492256450_17828371729350_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqJoJJwbSFFB6FIbXJ7mwEDFfJF0EM4dK0APHdPHIua_0.jpeg?imwidth=480&amp;imdensity=2\" media=\"( min-width: 350px ) and ( -webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2 )\" \/><source srcset=\"\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000492256450_17828371729350_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqJoJJwbSFFB6FIbXJ7mwEDFfJF0EM4dK0APHdPHIua_0.jpeg?imwidth=480\" media=\"( min-width: 350px )\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div class=\"articleBodyText section\">\n<div class=\"component article-body-text    \" data-test=\"article-body-text\">\n<p>The Great American State Fair occupies a great chunk of the National Mall, nestled between <a class=\"ck-custom-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/washington-dc\/\">Washington<\/a>\u2019s World Cup Fifa fan zone (which is exciting) and the Washington Monument.<\/p>\n<p>There are tents and booths for everything, including the 50 states \u2013 but also a stall for Mr Trump\u2019s own social media platform Truth Social (where you can sign up and get a red tick), another for SpaceX and a tent for US steel.<\/p>\n<p>In the Wyoming booth, bison hair (or is it fur?) is available for stroking while the Florida display (widely recognised as the most exciting experience on offer) includes as its chief draw an artificial putting green that\u2019s about 5ft by 3ft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"articleBodyText section\">\n<div class=\"component article-body-text    \" data-test=\"article-body-text\">\n<p>The department of defense, which deployed a couple of marines to paint children\u2019s faces with camouflage, was the big hit among the federal departments, laid out in a row of pre-fab buildings. The office of personnel management\u2019s booth was not, it\u2019s fair to say, a crowd pleaser.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is all so weird,\u201d said Amy Cohen, 65, a university administrator from Virginia, \u201cI 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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s like reading a social studies textbook from the seventh grade. There\u2019s so much vibrancy in the country, and this is unnecessarily vanilla. And there aren\u2019t a lot of people here.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"article-body-image section\" data-js=\"article-body-image\" data-test=\"article-body-image\">\n<div class=\"article-body-image__container\"><picture class=\"picture--block article-body-image__source  \"><source srcset=\"\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000492966963_17828366617071_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqYGoku22B2ewma27aQYESf0NKzH_bXxBGvRd9nhAkAWU.jpeg?imwidth=960\" media=\"( min-width: 1280px )\" \/><source srcset=\"\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000492966963_17828366617071_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqYGoku22B2ewma27aQYESf0NKzH_bXxBGvRd9nhAkAWU.jpeg?imwidth=680\" media=\"( min-width: 768px )\" \/><source srcset=\"\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000492966963_17828366617071_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqYGoku22B2ewma27aQYESf0NKzH_bXxBGvRd9nhAkAWU.jpeg?imwidth=480&amp;imdensity=2\" media=\"( min-width: 350px ) and ( -webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2 )\" \/><source srcset=\"\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000492966963_17828366617071_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqYGoku22B2ewma27aQYESf0NKzH_bXxBGvRd9nhAkAWU.jpeg?imwidth=480\" media=\"( min-width: 350px )\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div class=\"articleBodyText section\">\n<div class=\"component article-body-text    \" data-test=\"article-body-text\">\n<p>Trump supporters weren\u2019t convinced either. Holly Lewis, 57, a travel agent from Richmond, Virginia, said: \u201cI grew up with state fairs in Iowa, and this is really disappointing.\u201d She was sitting in a chair at the Maine stall with her daughter Dani, 26.<\/p>\n<p>Besides the chairs, there\u2019s nothing other than a backdrop with a few facts printed on such as: \u201cMaine is the largest producer of blueberries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several states, including Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont, have boycotted the event, which was opened by Mr Trump on June 25 and which will run until July 10.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"article-body-image section\" data-js=\"article-body-image\" data-test=\"article-body-image\">\n<div class=\"article-body-image__container\"><picture class=\"picture--block article-body-image__source  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000493183834_17828367573862_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqcEuxb8_vDa_o6Xt9LnoHLlHHyxZXrV0bKAMl0GLLEVE.jpeg?imwidth=350\" alt=\"Holly Lewis and her daughter, Dani, pictured at the American State Fair \" width=\"2281\" height=\"1426\" \/> <\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"e-caption u-meta    \" data-js=\"caption\"><span data-test=\"caption\"> \u2018This is really disappointing\u2019: Holly Lewis and her daughter, Dani, pictured at the Great American State Fair\u00a0 <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"articleBodyText section\">\n<div class=\"component article-body-text    \" data-test=\"article-body-text\">\n<p>\u201cThis should have been the highlight of my life,\u201d said Mrs Lewis. \u201cThis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The fair\u2019s organisers \u2013 the Freedom 250 committee set up to oversee the nation\u2019s 250th birthday celebrations \u2013 declined to reveal attendance records.<\/p>\n<p>But the area is huge, and crowds do seem sparse. A gymnast doing tricks with hoops on a podium drew a crowd of maybe 30 people spread out on the grass. Arizona had clocked up 3,000 visitors to its display on the first Sunday of the fair. But its booth was one of the better ones.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we would have had a lot more people if Trump wasn\u2019t president,\u201d said Wiley Larsen, who was counting visitors through the Arizona booth. He\u2019s a Trump voter \u2013 \u201cI think he\u2019s doing a lot of great things,\u201d he said \u2013 but recognises the president\u2019s divisiveness.<\/p>\n<p>Out on the Mall, the fair\u2019s centrepiece is a Ferris wheel that\u2019s 110ft high (the London Eye is four times the height), although its operation has been reportedly disrupted by power outages which also resulted in melted ice cream.<\/p>\n<p>A rodeo ring has also been constructed in which a cowboy rides a bucking bronco or bull once a day. \u201cIt\u2019s not a real rodeo,\u201d one of those involved in its construction whispered.<\/p>\n<p>Then there\u2019s a scaled-down replica of the president\u2019s planned 250ft victory arch, which online critics have likened to a miniature Stonehenge in the spoof documentary This is Spinal Tap! Others said it looked like it had been bought from the bargain website Temu.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"article-body-image section\" data-js=\"article-body-image\" data-test=\"article-body-image\">\n<div class=\"article-body-image__container\"><picture class=\"picture--block article-body-image__source  \"><source srcset=\"\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000492792986_17828373427620_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=960\" media=\"( min-width: 1280px )\" \/><source srcset=\"\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000492792986_17828373427620_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=680\" media=\"( min-width: 768px )\" \/><source srcset=\"\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000492792986_17828373427620_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=480&amp;imdensity=2\" media=\"( min-width: 350px ) and ( -webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2 )\" \/><source srcset=\"\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000492792986_17828373427620_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=480\" media=\"( min-width: 350px )\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000492792986_17828373427620_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=350\" alt=\"A scaled-down version of the president's proposed 'Arc de Trump' has been ridiculed online\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1563\" \/> <\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"e-caption u-meta e-caption--has-separator   \" data-js=\"caption\"><span data-test=\"caption\"> A scaled-down version of the president\u2019s proposed \u2018Arc de Trump\u2019 has been ridiculed online <\/span> <span class=\"e-caption__credit\" data-test=\"credit\"> <span class=\"e-caption__credit-description\">Credit<\/span>: Getty Images <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"articleBodyText section\">\n<div class=\"component article-body-text    \" data-test=\"article-body-text\">\n<p>Ari Drumm, 58, a salesman who had flown in from Florida, blamed TDS \u2013 Trump Derangement Syndrome \u2013 for the no-show states and the no-show crowds. \u201cIt\u2019s a disgrace,\u201d he said. \u201cWe should be together in this. We should be 50 united states and this is not very unified.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He wore a t-shirt with Maga emblazoned on the front, and as he walked off, the slogan on the back became clear. Beneath photographs of the president and <a class=\"ck-custom-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/us\/news\/2026\/06\/26\/watergate-vance-nixon-news-story\/\">JD Vance<\/a>, the writing on the back of the t-shirt said: \u201cThe Outlaw and the Hillbilly cleaning up America one liberal at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"article-body-image section\" data-js=\"article-body-image\" data-test=\"article-body-image\">\n<div class=\"article-body-image__container\"><picture class=\"picture--block article-body-image__source  \"><source srcset=\"\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000493183880_17828367573960_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bqk_V_qCUsIK262RJzcHJ03inOWnhjcbzGzO4yUvffleY.jpeg?imwidth=960\" media=\"( min-width: 1280px )\" \/><source srcset=\"\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000493183880_17828367573960_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bqk_V_qCUsIK262RJzcHJ03inOWnhjcbzGzO4yUvffleY.jpeg?imwidth=680\" media=\"( min-width: 768px )\" \/><source srcset=\"\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000493183880_17828367573960_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bqk_V_qCUsIK262RJzcHJ03inOWnhjcbzGzO4yUvffleY.jpeg?imwidth=480&amp;imdensity=2\" media=\"( min-width: 350px ) and ( -webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2 )\" \/><source srcset=\"\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000493183880_17828367573960_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bqk_V_qCUsIK262RJzcHJ03inOWnhjcbzGzO4yUvffleY.jpeg?imwidth=480\" media=\"( min-width: 350px )\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/content\/dam\/en-us\/news\/2026\/06\/30\/TELEMMGLPICT000493183880_17828367573960_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bqk_V_qCUsIK262RJzcHJ03inOWnhjcbzGzO4yUvffleY.jpeg?imwidth=350\" alt=\"Ari Drumm, 58, flew in from Florida for the American State Fair with his wife\" width=\"1639\" height=\"1640\" \/> <\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"e-caption u-meta e-caption--has-separator   \" data-js=\"caption\"><span data-test=\"caption\"> Ari Drumm flew in from Florida with his wife for the Great American State Fair <\/span> <span class=\"e-caption__credit\" data-test=\"credit\"> <span class=\"e-caption__credit-description\">Credit<\/span>: Robert Mendick for The Telegraph <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"articleBodyText section\">\n<div class=\"component article-body-text    \" data-test=\"article-body-text\">\n<p>Mr Trump opened the fair with what one Trump watcher called \u201cnotably tame remarks\u201d, sticking to a script and declaring: \u201cTonight, as we stand on the edge of our 250th year of independence, I am thrilled to declare that America is back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>But he has been stung by the criticism since its opening. \u201cDo you think people appreciate what a fantastic job we did in building and operating the Great American State fair at the National Mall, packed with happy people, and everybody loving it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Joe Biden or Barack Obama could never have created such a show, Mr Trump insisted.<\/p>\n<p>On that, he is probably correct.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"endOfContent\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump\u2019s Great American State Fair is a sad state of affairs Deflated visitors describe event on National Mall as \u2018unnecessarily vanilla\u2019 and a \u2018disgrace\u2019 \u00a0 An image from the fair\u2019s opening day on June 25 shows one visitor lain low by the festivities\u00a0 Credit: Getty Images \u00a0 \u00a017 years at The Telegraph, Robert has covered [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1260"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1261,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1260\/revisions\/1261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}