'Cancel it,' Trump says after artists drop out of US Freedom 250 festival

US President Donald Trump has called for replacing a planned concert series celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary with a political rally after several performers withdrew from the event, citing concerns about its perceived ties to the White House.

The artists who have pulled out of the 16-day Freedom 250 celebration on the National Mall in Washington include country singer Martina McBride, Poison frontman Bret Michaels, funk and soul group The Commodores and rapper Young MC.

Several departing performers said they had not expected the event to carry political associations, says the BBC.

Young MC said artists were not informed of "political involvement" and sought a less "politically charged" environment. McBride said the event had been presented as "non-partisan", which she described as "misleading".

The withdrawals prompted a response from Trump, who wrote on Truth Social that he had heard artists were getting "the yips", a term used in golf to describe involuntary stammers or freezes.

Trump said he was directing representatives to examine whether an "AMERICA IS BACK" or "MAGA" rally could be held at the same time and location as the planned concerts.

In the post, Trump described himself as the "Number One Attraction anywhere in the World" and said he draws larger audiences than "Elvis in his prime". He also criticised the departing performers as "overpriced" and "boring", saying they do "nothing but complain" and that "nobody wants to hear" their music.

Some performers remain committed to the event, including Vanilla Ice, Flo Rida and Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli.

Vanilla Ice defended his participation, saying the celebration is about "celebrating America's birthday" rather than serving as a "political platform".

Freedom 250, which oversees the Great American State Fair concert series, was launched last year through a task force established by a Trump executive order. The organisation describes itself as non-partisan, although Trump appointed its chief executive officer and the White House is one of its primary partners.

The group is separate from America250, a bipartisan commission established by Congress a decade ago to coordinate nationwide commemorations of the country's 250th anniversary, including events planned in New York City and Philadelphia.

Despite the dispute surrounding the concert line-up, the White House continues to support other Freedom 250 initiatives. These include a UFC fight on the South Lawn, a Grand Prix race in Washington scheduled for August and commemorative passports featuring a portrait of Trump.

Trump had been scheduled to headline the opening ceremony of the fair on 24 June.