Trump opens US 250th kickoff with rally on National Mall
What's new: Cancellations by acts including the Commodores and Young MC left the event leaning on military bands and Trump allies.
President Donald Trump is set to open the United States' 250th anniversary celebration with a rally on the National Mall, turning the kickoff of the Great American State Fair into a campaign-style event. The program includes a presidential speech, military bands and a stealth bomber flyover, with singer Lee Greenwood and tenor Christopher Macchio among the revised performers. Several acts, including the Commodores, Young MC and Martina McBride, withdrew after concerns that the public commemoration had become politicized. The event starts a 16-day run ahead of the July 4 milestone and comes as Trump tries to shift attention from the Iran war and weak approval ratings.