- CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins highlighted the sparse attendance at Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair on the National Mall, contrasting it with the president's claims of a "packed with happy people" event.
- Standing on the National Mall Thursday among a sparse crowd, Collins said “For a president who often fixates on crowd size, so far the fair on Washington’s National Mall hasn’t exactly lived up to the hype.”
- The week-long fair, intended to showcase American goods and culture, faced criticism for being a "vanity project" and was compared to the infamous Fyre Festival due to low attendance, extreme heat and various controversies.
- Controversies included a Confederate Flag display, numerous performers withdrawing, and booths closing due to failing air conditioning, alongside footage showing stage malfunctions and near-empty audiences for speaker events.
- There is growing concern within the White House regarding potentially low attendance for the president's upcoming Fourth of July speech at the fair, attributed to triple-digit temperatures and strict security measures.
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