Trump DC Fair Fully Collapses

Summary

The MeidasTouch Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Trump DC Fair Fully Collapses
Release Date: June 28, 2026
Hosts/Primary Voices: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas (plus various correspondents and MAGA supporters)
Theme:
An in-depth, humorous, and critical breakdown of Donald Trump’s “Great American State Fair” on the Washington Mall, which dramatically failed both logistically and in public turnout. The episode juxtaposes the embarrassing reality of the event (empty venues, faulty attractions, odd incidents) with the regime media propaganda that claimed tremendous success, using firsthand footage, on-the-ground reports, and analysis from the MeidasTouch team and various commentators.

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Main Segments & Key Discussion Points

1. Trump’s Great American Fair: A “Fyre Festival” Level Debacle

Timestamp: [02:30–09:00]

• Overview: The MeidasTouch team and guest commentators describe the “Great American State Fair” organized by Donald Trump’s regime as a total failure, likening it to the notorious Fyre Festival scam.
• Key Details:
  • The fair was virtually empty, with reports of as low as 17–34 attendees in major venues.
  • Attractions malfunctioned (broken Ferris wheel, melted ice cream, rotting food).
  • Bizarre scene with Vanilla Ice performing alongside someone in a terrifyingly bad Ninja Turtle costume (prompting humorous PTSD references).
  • Multiple photos and videos surface showing deserted pavilions, shoddily constructed props and arches, and generally desolate vibes.
• Quote [04:17]:

  “You can literally probably count maybe 33 to 34 people who attended.” — Political Commentator

• Quote [04:55]:

  “Vanilla Ice with someone in a Ninja Turtle. Now this was the type of Ninja Turtle costume that would haunt me when I was five years old.” — Political Commentator

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2. On-the-Ground Reports: Emptiness and Disarray

Timestamp: [06:36–09:00]

• **On-site correspondents (“John Arvisis” and others) walk listeners through the barren, lifeless event—sharing live reactions and ambient sound.
• Highlights:
  • Alaska and Hawaii booths empty; Arizona inexplicably has a line with no other state drawing interest.
  • Food court looks “Soviet Unionish”—dark, nearly empty, uninspired.
  • Attempts to spot “cowboys” reveal more confusion than excitement.
• Quote [07:25]:

  “So far, these states are very, very boring… How could Alaska be boring? Not a ton of people here either, by the way... The crowds, the wild crowds. It's a cast of thousands. Not.” — On-site Event Commentator

• Quote [08:21]:

  “This is kind of a bust. There’s nothing going on. They’ve only got the booths of the states. And as you saw, they’re boring.” — On-site Event Commentator

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3. Fair’s Downward Spiral: Odd Incidents & Broader Failure

Timestamp: [09:01–13:30]

• Incident: A MAGA streamer (“Manny”) is arrested for lewd conduct during a sparsely-attended performance.
• Additional color:
  • Shabby event aesthetics—poorly disguised columns, ‘Golden Trump Arch’, random flags (including an Israeli flag in context-less places).
  • More people at protests outside the fair than inside as attendees.
• Quote [11:41]:

  “MAGA fan accused of masturbating at Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair. Latest setback in embattled event… This is who Trump is. This is what the Epstein class is. This is what these gross and disgusting people do.” — Political Commentator

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4. The Event That Should Have Been: Smithsonian Perspective

Timestamp: [12:10–13:57]

• Insider testimony: A Smithsonian staffer details the original, highly ambitious vision for America’s 250th celebration—a month-long festival with major music headliners, local cultural showcases, meaningful art, and free concerts—abandoned due to Trump administration’s refusal to release permits.
• Theme: The lost opportunity is emblematic of the Trump regime’s incompetence and self-serving priorities.
• Quote [12:47]:

  “The goal was to feature truly the best and most beautiful creative expression in music, dance, arts, and craft traditions, food, community, etc. Can’t name names, but plan was to have headliners every night for free concerts…” — Smithsonian Insider

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5. The Food “Experience”: Expensive, Uninspired, Off-brand

Timestamp: [13:58–15:26]

• Description: Media team tours the food court, finding sky-high prices ($22 for “Lucky Bun,” $19 for Pad Thai, $8–$10 for simple drinks), mismatched culinary offerings (hot dogs being advertised as ‘hibachi’), and general lack of ambiance.
• Quote [14:56]:

  “So when you go to the room which is just this tent, the five star culinary experience that was promised… what the Trump regime considers hibachi: Chicken Caesar wrap, chicken sandwich, nachos, and pretzels. That ain’t hibachi, yo.” — Political Commentator

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6. Regime Media Propaganda vs. Reality

Timestamp: [15:37–17:35]

• Contrast: Fox News and MAGA media outlets broadcast glowing coverage, claiming “thousands in attendance” and “the most successful event ever”—in direct contradiction to all available on-the-ground evidence.

• Soundbites: Both Fox News correspondents and self-identified conservatives tout the historic nature and high turnout, urging “self-hating media outlets” to witness the success.

• Quote [16:31]:

  “We’ve got thousands of people celebrating this birthday with us… I hope a lot of them left the mall, went home and turned on their TV and are watching this right now.” — Fox News Correspondent

• Quote [17:09]:

  “All of these self hating media outlets who are saying that this fair is a failure, get your butt down here and I will prove you wrong. This is historical. This is epic.” — Conservative Event Participant

• MeidasTouch Commentary:

  • Emphasize the media disconnect and the dangerous normalization of “state regime media” in the US.
  • Urge listeners not to accept propaganda as reality.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [04:17] “You can literally probably count maybe 33 to 34 people who attended.” — Political Commentator
• [07:25] “So far, these states are very, very boring… The crowds, the wild crowds. It's a cast of thousands. Not.” — On-site Reporter
• [11:41] “This is not a glitch. This is quite literally who they are.” — Political Commentator, on the lewd incident and Trump/MAGA culture
• [12:47] “The goal was to feature truly the best and most beautiful creative expression… but our nation was robbed...” — Smithsonian Insider
• [14:56] “That ain’t hibachi, yo.” — Political Commentator
• [16:31] “We’ve got thousands of people celebrating this birthday with us...” — Fox News Correspondent
• [17:09] “Get your butt down here and I will prove you wrong. This is historical. This is epic.” — Conservative Event Participant

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Overall Tone & Takeaway

The MeidasTouch episode is sharp, witty, and deeply critical—exposing the Trump fair’s failings with humor, firsthand evidence, and a blend of news and brotherly banter. It highlights how media manipulation clashes with reality, why cultural mismanagement truly matters, and uses the fair’s collapse as a microcosm of the Trump regime’s broader dysfunction and the dangers of propagandist media.

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For Listeners:

If you missed the episode or the event, this summary captures all key moments, supporting quotes, and the episode’s unfiltered perspective on Trump’s “Great American State Fair” meltdown—without the noise or the regime spin.

Transcript

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[Political Commentator / Critic of Trump Event]

Donald Trump is panicking as this so called great American fair is becoming even a bigger disaster than has already been reported. Now we've Already reported the Trump regime had to shut it down yesterday because literally no one showed up at all. Also, the power was down. The Ferris wheel wasn't working. The ice cream had melted. The food was rotting away. But folks, it gets much worse. I'm going to show you what it looks looked like yesterday and early today when this so called Great American Fair opened back up. We're also hearing from people who work at the Smithsonian who are saying what this event was supposed to be like before Donald Trump and his despicable regime destroyed it. So Dean Cain, a MAGA guy who often goes on state regime media, which calls itself Fox, he posted the following image yesterday. View from atop the Ferris wheel. The at the Great American State Fair. Some MAGA guy. This is a Fox guy. Here's what he posted. Take a look. You can literally probably count maybe 33 to 34 people who attended. Louis Kahn posted this photo, took this photo two hours ago. Take a look. Maybe 17 people that are in the pavilion over there. Adam Parkamenco shows the main stage over there. Again, maybe 17 to 19 people. Another overhead view. You see the fake arch or arc that's right there, that's made out of cardboard. Again, you can see that literally no one is there in the Washington Mall. I mean, without this so called Great American State Fair, you would have much more people in the mall than are right there right now. You had this oddity taking place. Vanilla Ice with someone in a Ninja Turtle. Now this was the type of Ninja Turtle costume that would haunt me when I was five years old. The fake Ninja Turtle costume right there. I remember going to a birthday party when I was five and they rolled out that Ninja Turtle. I remember crying hysterically. It still gives me PTSD to this day. Obviously I'm half joking. Gary Peterson goes. The Great American State Fair is where we can spot legends like the Godfather of Rap, Vanilla Ice wowing the massive crowds with Raphael the Turtle Ninja. I feel like a mere mortal next to these icons. Okay, so this was one of the main performances that was taking place yesterday. Not quite sure why there is an American flag and an Israeli flag in this tent, but that's what exists. And Stephanie Mensimer explains. I guess no one at the Great American Fair wants to listen to the Jesus music on the mall. So this was the big concert that was supposed to take place yesterday. Let's take a look at the big concerts. You could see for yourself. Play this clip. Yahweh, Yahweh, Yahweh, Yahweh. But the Trump regime propaganda has posted the following photo. It's American aircraft that our taxpayer dollars pay for, which has been used by the Trump regime to engage in lots of war crimes and murdering people off the coast of Venezuela and war crimes in Iran, for which I want to see people tried at the Hague for their war crimes. Just being blunt about it. But here's what the White House posted. Locked Patriots in Control. In control of what? You can't even put together the Great American State Fair. I mean, growing up, going to fairs, taking my family to. I don't know how you screw this up so badly. And again, I'll show everybody what was supposed to actually take place. But I want to give a shout out to John Arvisis. And he showed up there, he got some footage of what was going down. Let me show you what he was able to record right here. This is. This right here is from John Arvisis. I'll play this clip right here, which.

[On-site Reporter / Event Commentator]

Oh, there we go. There we go. So there we go. Guys, can you hear me? I'm on the mall. At Trump's state fair thing he did, this is the thing that he did with his own people because he refused to use the accredited one, the actual one that presidents have used for decades, and he set up his own state fair. It's terrible. I mean, first of all, look at the crowds, right? There's nobody here. I did some separate videos, actually. I may walk in and show you guys. Actually, I'm going to show you the food court. So he set up a copy of his little NZ arch. Absolutely horrific. This thing, the Ferris wheel broke down yesterday. It's working now.

[Political Commentator / Critic of Trump Event]

More from Arvisis right here as well. Just giving you insight into what he saw going down. Let's play this clip.

[On-site Reporter / Event Commentator]

So far, these states are very, very boring. I'm going to now go over to Alaska and see what they've got, because I spent a lot of time in Alaska. If Alaska's boring, I'm going to be very disappointed because how could Alaska be boring? Not a ton of people here either, by the way. You can see the. The crowds, the wild crowds. It's a cast of thousands. Not. And for some reason nobody can figure out, there's a line for Arizona, only Arizona. Nobody else but Arizona. There's a line. So this is very sad. Alaska and Hawaii have nothing. I'm not quite sure why. Hawaii, Democratic state. Alaska, Republican state. There's nothing here. Very weird. All right, so this is the food court. Little Soviet Unionish, but that's okay. We'll walk down and See, but as you can see, it's not the. I don't know. This is it, guys. This is literally the food court. See, they're, like, trying to get in. Don't go. Run, run. Wow. Express Hibachi. Okay. I guess they can't afford lights in here. Wow. I mean, this is it. Also very crowded, too. Obviously not. Wow, that's just kind of sad. And then here are some, like, cowboys or Mexican cowboys, which would be actually a little surprising if they were Mexican cowboys. I'm going to guess they're not Mexican cowboys. Maybe they. No, I don't know. Yeah, not really. Well, maybe a little bit going on there. Okay, so this is kind of a bust. There's nothing going on. They've only got the booze of the states. And as you saw, they're boring.

[Political Commentator / Critic of Trump Event]

Again, very, very sad indeed. Julian Andreani, you see him a lot in Capitol Hill, grilling the members of Congress, along with some of the people we've got at Midas Touch Network on Capitol Hill. He posted this photo of himself at that performance. I'm here and can confirm it's completely empty, but at least they randomly hung an Israeli flag. Amanda Moore, she's a great reporter. She finally showed up and she goes, I finally made it to the Great American State Fair. The columns on this fake building are something to behold. Look at this right here. They know it looks like shit because they made an effort to hide it sometimes. Then you got some MAGA followers going up to the Golden Trump Arch, and I don't even know what's going on there. Um, and then I saw a lot of this going down. Free Manny. MAGA was talking about Free Manny, and apparently this guy was involved in an incident. So I wanted to dig deeper because all the MAGA people were saying, free Manny. He was set up. Not guilty. I'm like, okay, what's. Who is this guy? He's a MAGA streamer. Big, big Trumper. Deep in the big MAGA circles. MAGA fan accused of masturbating at Donald Trump's Great American State Fair. Latest setback in embattled event. So here's this guy right here. His real name is Gian Ratchetli. He goes by the name Manny. He was charged with lewd, indecent, and obscene acts. Apparently, he went over to the Cirque Mechanics acrobatic show where there were female performers. And according to the police report and eyewitnesses, he was vaping. And then he started to, you know what? And people were horrified. And he was doing it in front of the Cirque Dancers while nobody was there to begin with. This is who Trump is. This is what the Epstein class is. This is what these gross and disgusting people do. Like, don't you get it? This is not a glitch. This is quite literally who they are. Okay, let's talk about what this event was supposed to be. Here's a Smithsonian insider talking about what the event was supposed to look like before Donald Trump turned America 250 into freedom. 250. And then Trump tried to turn it into some weird, horrible propaganda fest for himself that makes Fyre Festival look like the most incredible event. I work at the Smithsonian specifically raising money for the 250th. What I want people to know is we secured millions of private philanthropy to host a month long folklife festival on the mall. The festival of festivals was going to feature well known festivals like Burning man and Farm Aid, the Grand Ole Opry, as well as more smaller and local regional festivals from across the United States and territories. The goal was to feature truly the best and most beautiful creative expression in music, dance, arts and craft traditions, food, community, etc. Can't name names, but plan was to have headliners every night for free concerts. Think the types of names who might be affiliated with the aforementioned large festivals. Stars were willing to perform because it was under the banner of the Smithson. It had all been, was all prepared, but it had to all been scraped because the administration would not release permits to host on the mall. The money went elsewhere, but our nation was robbed of what would have been a once in a generation cultural moment. And I just think about it, I'm like, if former Vice president Kamala Harris was in charge, you know, the event would have been pretty amazing. Also, I think Americans would have been doing much better off. We probably would have had inflation at around 2%. But I digress. I mean, I just want you to think about it this way when you pull back because this is symptomatic of something bigger. When Donald Trump can't even throw a fair and with all of the resources that we have and it becomes something so utterly gross and utterly bankrupt. This is what he's done his entire life. Going back to Giuliani for a second there at the main pavilion in front of one of the main stages. Packed house. Yes, this performance is actively going on. If you look to be very clear, this was the other main performance of the evening. Zoom in if we can guys, so we can see what he means right there. The show was going on okay. He's literally the. When I'm saying nobody showed, I'm showing you 17 people, 34 people here. It was just Julian Andreoni. The protests of the event that we declare our independence had far more people than the actual Great American State Fair. There are more people protesting outside than attended this event. There were more people at the Biden social distancing rallies than attended this Great American State Fair. No shade to Biden, but there's more people there than here. Take a look right here. The Great American State Fair being an utter disaster right here. As Aaron Parnas writes, in what world is a chicken Caesar wrap and a hot dog considered hibachi? So when you go to the room which is just this tent, you saw the video we showed earlier, the five star culinary experience that was promised, right? And you go to the hibachi area, what the Trump regime considers Hibachi, Chicken Caesar wrap, chicken sandwich, nachos and pretzels. That ain't hibachi, yo. That ain't hibachi. Then you go over here to some Thai favorites. You can get a $19 chicken pad Thai at least that is Thai. Go to the Lucky bun section. A $22 lucky buns with fries. That's called Trumpflation right there. You take a look right here at some of the prices for the drinks. If you want ice cream, it's eight bucks. If you want a iced coffee, that would be $10 right there. I'll show you over here. As Jameson Daniel post the National State Sad fair. Play this clip.

[On-site Reporter / Event Commentator]

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are Cirque Mechanics. We're all the way from Las Vegas, really excited to be here with the National Endowment for the Arts on the

[Political Commentator / Critic of Trump Event]

mall for the 250th.

[On-site Reporter / Event Commentator]

We're going to start it off with

[Political Commentator / Critic of Trump Event]

Aussie and the drum. Another image I'm trying to show you lots of people images. So you're not like Ben, you're just selecting this one person and you're showing me from this angle. I'm just showing you lots of people. Solomon Tucker State Fair250 summed up in one photo. There it goes right there. So how state regime media coping with this, which calls itself Fox? State regime media goes, there's thousands of people here. This is one of the biggest, most successful events ever. This is state regime media for you. Play this clip.

[Fox News Correspondent]

Happy early birthday, America. We're celebrating already at the Great American State Fair, man. We've got thousands of people celebrating this birthday with us. Tommy, you and I had a chance to go out. We got to see some of the exhibits. I'm sure you got what I got, which was a lot of people going, hey, love to watch it on Fox. I hope a lot of them left the mall, went home and turned on their TV and are watching this right now.

[Political Commentator / Critic of Trump Event]

But then you have Scott Libado. I guess he's a maga artist. Art in action. The self hating media outlets say this is a failure. Get your butt down here and see how successful this is. That's what they were putting on state regime media. Can't believe it. Play this clip.

[Conservative Supporter / Event Participant]

I just want to make a note and revisit what you guys said earlier. I have never seen so many people, so many cool people. I'm, I'm a conservative, you know that. But there are Democrats here and we're not talking about anything except patriotism and the celebration of America. So all of these self hating media outlets who are saying that this fair is a failure, get your butt down

[On-site Reporter / Event Commentator]

here and I will prove you wrong.

[Conservative Supporter / Event Participant]

This is historical. This is epic.

[Political Commentator / Critic of Trump Event]

And as we said on the Midas Dutch network, it should never be normalized that we have our own state regime media in the United States. I'm just going to play 12 seconds of this. Let's play it. There you have it folks. Let me know what you think about all of this. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 7 million subscribers. Thank you so much for watching and have a wonderful day. Want to stay plugged in? Become a subscriber to our [e-mail] you'll get daily recaps from Ron Filipowski ad free episodes of our podcast and more exclusive content only [e-mail].