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Donald Trump claimed he was “much larger” than Elvis Presley after a string of artists withdrew from a concert series linked to his administration’s celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary.

The US president suggested he could replace the performers himself by turning one of the planned concerts in Washington DC into a political rally, delivering what he described as a “major speech” instead.

Mr Trump’s aides later told The Washington Post they had been working rapidly to ensure the president opened the fair.

Danielle Alvarez, an adviser to Freedom 250, confirmed that Mr Trump would open the event.

“As the visionary behind the Great American State Fair, we are excited to announce that President Trump will personally kick off this historic celebration on Wednesday, June 24 in an opening ceremony celebrating America’s 250th birthday,” she told the outlet.

She described the event as “a World’s Fair celebrating the people, traditions, innovations, and spirit that make America the greatest nation on Earth”.

On Friday, several musicians distanced themselves from Freedom 250, a public-private partnership established by the Trump administration to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence.

The artists had been scheduled to perform during the Great American State Fair, a series of events that will take place in Washington DC between June 25 and 10 July, but pulled out.

Among those to withdraw were the Commodores, country singer Martina McBride, funk band Morris Day & the Time, Poison frontman Bret Michaels and the rapper Young MC.

In response, Mr Trump suggested replacing the scheduled entertainment with a rally headlined by him.

Artists are getting ‘the yips’

“I understand Artists are getting ‘the yips’ having to do with their performance on Wednesday,” he wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday.

He continued: “So I am thinking about bringing the Number One Attraction anywhere in the World, the man who gets much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime, and he does so without a guitar, the man who loves our Country more than anyone else, and the man who some say is the Greatest President in History (THE GOAT!), DONALD J. TRUMP, to take the place of these highly paid, Third Rate ‘Artists,’ and give a major speech, rallying the Country forward like I have done ever since being President!”

He said he had instructed aides to examine the feasibility of holding an ‘AMERICA IS BACK Rally’ at the same time and location as the planned concert.

“Only Great Patriots invited – It will be a Wild and Beautiful Celebration of America!” he wrote.

Many of the artists who pulled out of the event said that they had been misled about its political stance.

“I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a non-partisan event but that turned out to be misleading,” McBride, who is an American country singer, wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday.

“I asked lots of questions and was assured that this was an opportunity to perform at a non-partisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states,” she said, before adding: “yesterday things started changing and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening.”

“The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event,” the rapper Young MC said in an Instagram post, later describing the concert as a “bait-and-switch” to Rolling Stone.

Freedom 250 was launched by the White House as an executive order to mark America’s 250th anniversary, with events to be organised all over the US to mark the occasion.

There will be a fleet of six Mobile Museums, known as “Freedom Trucks,” which will travel around the country to bring “the story of American independence to students, families, and citizens in every corner of our country,” the website says.

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