2026-07-01T08:00:26.031Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/01/politics/america-250-trump-crowd-fair
唐纳德·特朗普总统将他在国家广场举行的独立日集会吹捧为“任何国家有史以来最难忘的生日派对”的高潮。但在白宫内部，人们越来越担心实际到场参加庆祝活动的人数会有多少。
据熟悉内情的消息人士告诉CNN，特朗普上周在国家广场发表演讲时到场人数寥寥，这一事实已在幕后激怒了总统，这引发了人们的担忧：当他作为核心嘉宾出席独立日庆祝活动时，到场人数可能同样令人失望。特朗普此前曾将此次活动吹嘘为其总统任期内最具意义的时刻之一。
这场备受瞩目的演讲前夕，占据华盛顿市中心标志性两英里区域的“伟大美国州博览会”已出现零星客流和一系列挫折。再加上严格的安保措施、华氏三位数的高温，以及活动安排将持续到周六深夜，白宫官员已在提前应对可能出现的冷清场面。
“我不明白我们为什么要把活动安排得这么晚，”一名白宫官员抱怨道，并称仍在努力调整活动时间。“我真的不确定是谁觉得这个主意不错。”
两名熟悉情况的消息人士称，特朗普对上周那场类似竞选风格的演讲现场人数稀少感到怒不可遏。此前，多支原定参演的音乐团体集体退出，原因是该州博览会与这位政治立场极具争议的总统关联过密，导致演讲内容仓促拼凑。
特朗普宣布将亲自领衔该活动并发表了约30分钟的演讲，其中大部分时间都在回顾他的政绩，并吹嘘其政府领导下美国的复兴。尽管他最初并不清楚现场观众规模，但后来看到一张航拍照片，显示舞台周围聚集的观众之外还有大片空旷场地。
消息人士称，这张照片让他怒不可遏，多名发布过这张照片的白宫官员都删除了相关帖子。此事随后引发特朗普在社交媒体上进行反击，坚称现场人群“挤得水泄不通”。
这一事件进一步抬高了特朗普独立日演讲的 stakes，这只是美国建国250周年半世纪纪念活动的最新环节，而特朗普一直试图将其打造成他全身心投入的总统任期的延伸。
这也引发了一轮内部互相指责，特朗普阵营中的一些人质疑，为何他们没有采取更多措施确保活动到场人数——在他们看来，这场活动是检验总统对国家和文化掌控力的试金石。
“这次的错误不在于没有吸引观众，”一位接近白宫的人士谈及博览会上的稀疏人流时表示，“问题在于秉持了‘建好了他们就会来’的心态，结果失败了。”
对于特朗普的独立日演讲，一名消息人士透露，舞台正前方的观景区将实行门票制，以确保坐满。不过门票是免费的，另一位熟悉活动的官员指出，很可能会有大量民众报名占位，但最终并不会到场。
“特朗普总统正在确保美国获得应有的壮观250岁生日庆祝——‘自由250’项目将落实总统的历史性愿景，”白宫发言人戴维斯·英格尔在一份声明中表示，称博览会和其他活动旨在“彰显在本届总统领导下爱国主义和民族自豪感的复兴”。
在周六的演讲之前，特朗普计划于周三出席在北达科他州举行的西奥多·罗斯福总统图书馆揭幕仪式，这同时也将是他的新空军一号的首次飞行。随后他将于周五前往南达科他州，在拉什莫尔山参加烟花表演。
这一系列活动是特朗普早在2024年大选获胜前就念念不忘的。一位熟悉相关筹备工作的人士透露，特朗普的顾问在竞选期间就讨论过他的独立日演讲计划，当时设想他将在《独立宣言》签署地费城发表演讲。
他早在2023年就公开预告过举办州博览会的想法，承诺打造每个州都拥有奢华展馆，重现一个多世纪前的世界博览会盛况。从那时起，特朗普多次对自己能够主持建国250周年纪念活动以及男子足球世界杯赛事感到惊叹。
“这是在打造政治遗产。他想留下自己的印记，留下自己的名号，”哥伦比亚大学国际与公共事务学院的总统历史学家、高级研究学者蒂莫西·纳夫塔利说道。“他不是个心思复杂的人。”
但现实并未完全达到宣传的效果，一方面受到特朗普极具争议的参与影响——这导致建国250周年纪念活动的组织工作出现分裂，让耗时多年的筹备工作变得复杂；近期又遭遇了更常见的后勤和天气挑战。
在州博览会上，各州展馆的质量参差不齐，部分展馆装饰简陋。亚利桑那州和德克萨斯州的展馆凭借沉浸式沙漠步道、阿拉莫复制品、太空船和酒吧等精美展品，吸引了大量排队参观的人群。但也有一些州因资金有限拒绝参展，其展馆基本空无一人，装饰也十分简陋。
现场客流量一直不多，还出现了几起令人不快的小插曲。上周末，北卡罗来纳州展馆出现了一面邦联旗帜，随后被移除。该展馆由北卡罗来纳州的商人设计，因为该州没有足够资金参展，所以拒绝官方参与。民主党州长乔希·斯坦发表声明谴责此事，并要求移除旗帜。
在博览会正式开放的第一天，一名男子被逮捕并起诉。法庭文件显示，目击者看到他当众手淫、吸食电子烟，并拍摄一名杂技表演中的女性表演者。
华盛顿的天气也影响了客流，博览会周末因强风暴多次被迫关闭。原定于周五晚间的演唱会因天气原因取消，凡妮莎·艾斯是上月未退出原定演出阵容的两位艺人之一。一位熟悉筹备工作的消息人士称，该演出不会改期。
博览会也有一些受欢迎的景点，包括一座110英尺高的摩天轮和每日举办的牛仔竞技表演。CNN周六采访的博览会参与者对活动体验给予了积极评价。
“抛开政治不谈，这对美国来说是件好事，我认为我们都应该享受它。我相信这是一场非同寻常的活动，”来自弗吉尼亚州、原籍俄亥俄州的弗莱彻·梅茨说道，他称赞特朗普组织了这次活动。
但严格的安保措施似乎限制了整体吸引力，禁止参会者携带食品或水瓶进入几乎没有遮阳设施、可供休息的指定区域也很少。
因此，参会者只能依靠食品帐篷，这些帐篷同时也充当降温区域，提供热狗、芝士汉堡和披萨等基本餐食。一瓶水售价5美元，不过UFC总裁、特朗普亲密盟友达纳·怀特旗下的Phorm能量饮料也在售卖。
州博览会的组织者“自由250”的一位发言人在一份声明中表示，截至目前已有超过15万人到场。
“任何打赌庆祝活动会空无一人的人都赌输了——‘自由250’不想和那些唱反调的怀疑论者争论；我们正忙着迎接从世界各地来到华盛顿的美国人，”发言人朱莉娅·弗里德兰德说道。
尽管如此，这些挑战可能预示着特朗普领衔的独立日庆祝活动将面临类似问题。本次活动将包括下午的航空表演和一场规模宏大的烟花压轴秀，组织者希望其能创造一项新的吉尼斯世界纪录。
与往年不同的是，观众不得携带冷藏箱进入国家广场。届时预报最高气温将达到华氏100度，一场大规模热浪将席卷东海岸。而当这场盛大的烟花表演开始时，时间可能已接近午夜。或许是默认了这些障碍，特朗普上周强调了吸引民众到场的另一个理由：他本人。
“你们最爱的总统将会发表演讲，”特朗普说。“所以请务必到场，因为如果出现两个空座位，你知道会发生什么吗？假新闻会说，‘他连场地都坐不满。’”
CNN的盖布·科恩和尼基·罗伯逊对本文亦有贡献。
Crowd size gripes, state fair troubles: The problems of an America 250 celebration tied to Trump
2026-07-01T08:00:26.031Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/01/politics/america-250-trump-crowd-fair
President Donald Trump has billed his July Fourth rally on the National Mall as a culmination of the “most unforgettable birthday party any country has ever seen.” But inside his White House, there’s growing angst over how many people will actually show up to celebrate.
The lackluster attendance for Trump’s speech on the mall last week — a fact that has infuriated the president behind the scenes — has sparked fears of a similarly disappointing turnout when he headlines an Independence Day celebration, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. He has teased the event as one of the most consequential moments of his presidency.
The high-profile address follows days of scattered crowds and setbacks at the “Great American State Fair” that’s taken over the iconic two-mile stretch of downtown Washington, DC. And with tightened security measures, triple-digit heat and a schedule set to run well into Saturday night, White House officials are already bracing for an underwhelming showing.
“I do not understand why we are doing this so late,” one White House official vented, noting there were still ongoing efforts to fix the timing. “I’m really not sure who thought this was a good idea.”
Trump grew livid over the small crowd at his campaign-style speech last week, two sources familiar with the matter said. Those remarks were thrown together after planned musical acts backed out en masse over the state fair’s close association with the politically divisive president.
Trump announced he would headline the event instead and spoke for roughly 30 minutes, most of which he spent recounting his accomplishments and boasting about America’s revival under his administration. Though he wasn’t initially aware of the size of the crowd, he later saw an aerial photo that showed acres of sparsely populated fields beyond the audience that had crowded around the stage.
The visual enraged him, the sources said, and multiple White House officials who had posted the photo deleted their posts. The revelation led to a defensive Trump lashing out on social media, claiming that the crowds were “packed to the brim.”
The episode has further heightened the stakes for Trump’s Independence Day address, which represents just the latest element of the US’ semiquincentennial celebration that he’s sought to effectively make an extension of his all-consuming presidency.
It’s also prompted a round of internal finger-pointing, with some in Trump’s orbit questioning why more wasn’t done to ensure a better turnout for events they view as a test of the president’s hold on the country and its culture.
“The mistake here was not driving attendance,” one person close to the White House said of the sparse crowds at the fair. “It was an ‘if you build it, they will come’ mentality that failed.”
For Trump’s July Fourth address, one source said the viewing section directly in front of the stage will be ticketed, to ensure it is filled. However, the tickets are free, and another official familiar with the event noted that there is likely to be huge swaths of people who sign up to secure a spot but ultimately don’t show.
“President Trump is ensuring that America gets the spectacular 250th birthday it deserves — and Freedom 250 will execute on the president’s historic vision,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement, calling the fair and other events an effort to “feature a renewal of patriotism and national pride under this President’s leadership.”
Ahead of Saturday’s speech, Trump is scheduled on Wednesday to attend a dedication of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota, which will also mark the inaugural flight of his new Air Force One. He’ll then travel to South Dakota on Friday for a fireworks show at Mount Rushmore.
The sequence of events is one that Trump has fixated on since even before he won election in 2024. Trump advisers discussed his potential July Fourth speech during the campaign, at the time envisioning that he would deliver it in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, a person familiar with the deliberations said.
He also publicly previewed his idea for a state fair as far back as 2023, promising lavish pavilions from every state that evoked the world’s expos from more than a century ago. Since then, Trump has repeatedly marveled at being able to preside over the semiquincentennial, as well as the men’s soccer World Cup.
“It’s legacy building. He wants to leave his stamp, he wants to leave his mark,” said Timothy Naftali, a presidential historian and senior research scholar at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. “He’s not a complicated man.”
But the reality hasn’t quite lived up to hype, hampered by Trump’s polarizing involvement, which split the organizing efforts for the 250th anniversary and complicated the yearslong planning — and more recently, by more run-of-the-mill logistical and weather challenges.
At the state fair, the quality of booths from each state have varied, with some less decorated than others. There are pavilions like Arizona and Texas — featuring elaborate displays like an immersive desert walk and a replica of the Alamo, a spaceship and a honky tonk — that have drawn lines out the door. But there are also booths representing states that declined to send delegations, citing limited finances, which sit largely empty and are sparsely decorated.
Crowds have been modest, and there have been several unsavory hiccups. Over the weekend, an image of a Confederate flag was removed after appearing in the North Carolina pavilion, which was designed by state businessmen after North Carolina declined to participate because it did not have the funding. Democratic Gov. Josh Stein issued a statement condemning it and called for its removal.
And on the fair’s first full day, a man was arrested and charged after witnesses saw him with his hands down his pants, vaping and filming the female performers in an acrobatic performance, according to court documents.
The Washington weather also tempered crowd numbers, with the fair forced to close at various points over the weekend due to heavy storms. A Friday evening concert featuring Vanilla Ice, one of two acts that didn’t pull out of the original slate of performances last month, was also canceled for weather. It won’t be rescheduled, a source familiar with the planning said.
There have been a handful of popular attractions, including a 110-foot ferris wheel and daily rodeo show. The fairgoers CNN spoke with on Saturday spoke positively about their experience at the event.
“Politics aside, this is a great thing for America and I think we should all enjoy it. And I believe that this is an exceptional event,” said Fletcher Metz, a Virginia resident originally from Ohio, who commended Trump for organizing it.
But strict security measures have appeared to limit the overall appeal, preventing attendees from bringing food or water bottles into an area with little shade and few designated areas to sit.
Instead, they’ve had to rely on the food tents that also double as cool-down spaces, serving a range of basic fare like hot dogs, cheeseburgers and pizza. A water is $5, though UFC president and close Trump ally Dana White’s Phorm energy drinks are also on sale.
A spokeswoman for Freedom 250, the organizer behind the state fair, said in a statement that more than 150,000 people have attended so far.
“Anyone betting on empty celebration bet wrong — and Freedom 250 is not interested in arguing with the Negative Nancy skeptics; we’re busy celebrating with Americans flocking to DC from every corner of the best nations in the world,” the spokeswoman, Julia Friedland, said.
Still, those challenges could foreshadow similar issues for the Trump-headlined July Fourth celebration, which will include an afternoon air show and a lengthy fireworks finale so large that organizers hope it will set a new Guinness World Record.
Unlike past years, attendees won’t be allowed to bring coolers onto the mall, where highs are forecast to hit 100 degrees as a massive heat wave is set to engulf the East Coast. And by the time the massive fireworks display begins, it could be nearing midnight. In perhaps a tacit acknowledgment of those hurdles, Trump last week emphasized a different reason for people to turn out: Himself.
“Your favorite president will be speaking,” Trump said. “So please show up because if we have two empty seats, you know what’s going to happen? The fake news is going to say, ‘He didn’t fill out the arena.’”
CNN’s Gabe Cohen and Nicky Robertson contributed to this report.
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