this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2026
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The president has claimed the fair is “packed with happy people” but footage from the National Mall tells a different story

CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins trolled President Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair by showing just how few people showed up to the week-long 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 fair was intended to showcase goods and culture across America’s 50 states. However, when Trump has been accused of ‘hijacking’ events around America’s 250th birthday to make them about himself. The fair was opened with sparse booths and limited attractions. This, combined with D.C.’s ongoing heatwave, has resulted in minimal crowds attending and a lot of mockery on social media.

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[–] lemmylump@lemmy.world 163 points 4 days ago (2 children)
[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 31 points 4 days ago

The sites that do things like claim that CNN is "trolling Trump" are doing it to get clicks from left-leaning people. But, the effect is to hurt the interests of left-leaning people.

CNN is factually reporting on the "state fair" thing in an unbiased way, but reporting it truthfully makes Trump look bad.

Calling it trolling makes it seem like it's what Jordan Klepper does on The Daily Show. It makes it seem partisan and biased.

But hey, these news sites are out to make a buck, and people post their stuff to social media sites like this one which generates clicks and revenue. So, mission accomplished.

[–] SatansMaggotyCumFart@piefed.world 40 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Reality often has a troll like bias.

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 8 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Eris you feisty little minx.

[–] Bo7a@piefed.ca 3 points 3 days ago

All hail Eris. All hail discordia.

fnord

[–] Burninator05@lemmy.world 60 points 4 days ago (4 children)

Is it really trolling to make factual statements?

[–] muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 25 points 4 days ago

At this point yes

[–] modus@lemmy.world 14 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Journalism == trolling. Nobody told you?

[–] nullspace@lemmy.world 8 points 4 days ago

Journalism is trolling and facts are liberal spin.

[–] bss03@infosec.pub 3 points 3 days ago

You can troll with facts, yes. Trolling is more about intent and tone than accuracy or objectivity.

Reality has long had a liberal bias.

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[–] switcheroo@lemmy.world 62 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Dump is going to froth his diapers in rage and try to get her fired for this

[–] Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Didn't Ellison recently acquire CNN? If so she'll very likely get fired and blackballed by all the right-wing propaganda outlets

[–] Zidane@lemmy.ca 6 points 4 days ago

Sounds like a plus to me

[–] ignirtoq@feddit.online 50 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Following his speech, the president is planning on setting off fireworks for 40 minutes in an attempt to break the world record for fireworks. Firework manufacturers have said this will cost many millions of dollars, but the White House is yet to disclose exactly how much they are spending and how they obtained the funds.

Those USAID funds, and funding for dozens of other programs, aren't going where they're legally supposed to anymore, so probably from there.

[–] justaman123@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Nah they've already spent those funds, u said was cut months ago

[–] BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago

He's spent these too probably. It'll just be a dozen interns shaking pill bottles full of pennies and shouting bang

[–] marretics@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Is 40 minutes really considered a world record for fireworks? I remember being in Japan and they were going on for what felt like more than an hour at least

[–] zalgotext@sh.itjust.works 5 points 4 days ago

Almost certainly not. The labor day fireworks they shoot off in Cincinnati every year last at least that long.

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[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 34 points 4 days ago

First comment on the article, “that’s not ‘trolling’ - that's reporting”

Damn straight.

[–] ruuster13@lemmy.zip 38 points 4 days ago

Reality isn't a troll. Reality only trolls a troll.

[–] Fmstrat@lemmy.world 14 points 4 days ago
[–] Eddbopkins@lemmy.world 24 points 4 days ago (1 children)

My bosses at work who are 60+ all remember how great the 200th was. Everyone voted trump and everyone is disappointed beyond belief at how bad this 250th is.

[–] Zink@programming.dev 2 points 3 days ago

I grew up in the 80s and 90s and I remember hearing a lot of references to "The Bicentennial."

[–] PurpleHawkeye619@lemmy.world 19 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Her reporting isn't trolling.

The Independent running the article after the faire was closed for heat today and therefore no one is there, is next level trolling and im here for it.

[–] BenLeMan@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

You're right, it's terrorism. Or will be declared as such soon enough, mark my words. The days of free speech in the U.S. are numbered.

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[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 22 points 4 days ago

reporting is trolling now???

[–] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Why did they decide on calling it a "State Fair" anyway? Wouldn't it have made more sense to call it The National Fair?

[–] NerdInSuspenders@leminal.space 13 points 3 days ago

“State Fair” in a non-state as well. Not even a commonwealth.

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 15 points 4 days ago

Ain’t nobody want to go to a pedophile fair.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Will there be more visitors than degrees Fahrenheit at Trumps speech today?

[–] HrabiaVulpes@europe.pub 4 points 3 days ago

I don't even know fuhrerheit but I bet there will be more, if you count security and all the trash.

[–] Bebopalouie@lemmy.ca 15 points 4 days ago (2 children)

There was an event down the road that had considerable people at it. So the heat excuse kinda falls flat.

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[–] Eternal192@anarchist.nexus 17 points 4 days ago (1 children)

It would be funny if it wasn't actually sad.

Some probably refused to come out of spite but many probably couldn't afford to come and at the moment can't afford to go anywhere.

[–] Perky@fedia.io 13 points 4 days ago (2 children)

A lot of people probably simply aren't interested in going to an outdoor event during a record-breaking heatwave.

[–] OwOarchist@pawb.social 11 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (3 children)

Especially not to see:

  • A bunch of mostly-empty booths for each state, which aren't even affiliated with the governments of those states, many of which (reportedly) feature only a stamp to collect to show you've been there, and nothing else

  • A cheap mockery of greco-roman architecture executed in the medium of plywood facades on top of white plastic tents

  • A succession of 4th-rate bands and performers nobody has heard of on a small stage

  • A ferris wheel that (reportedly) is out of order about 50% of the time

That would be disappointing and not really worthwhile even if the weather was beautiful for it, even if it wasn't strongly associated with a would-be fascist dictator and well-known pedophile.

Oh yeah, and to top it off, it's in the middle of DC, which is a pretty liberal city. Not exactly teeming with Trump's target audience.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago

It's disappointing and not worthwhile because the would-be fascist dictator and well-known pedophile decided to make it about him and drove away everyone competent to make it fun.

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[–] aceshigh@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

They’ve only had a heatwave recently. The fair was poorly attended before the heatwave.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Controversies surrounding the fair included a Confederate Flag hanging in the North Carolina booth

Great job, North Carolina. We appreciate you letting us know in no uncertain terms to avoid you when planning to travel. Too bad, cause it's a beautiful part of the country.

[–] anarchy79@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

What the fuck did they celebrate in that booth? Because the Union ain't it!

[–] BruisedMoose@piefed.social 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Boy, I sure do love an article about a video without a link to the video. I hope that it's just my ad blocker not letting it be shown or something.

[–] matlag@sh.itjust.works 9 points 3 days ago

That link can be found in another article for which I'm not providing any link.

You're welcome!!

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 8 points 4 days ago

And, another video of the speaker series shows former Bachelor contestant turned Evangelical preacher, Madi Prewitt Trout, speaking to a near-empty audience.

Geez you’d think that’d have been a doorbuster.

[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago

I'm a simple man. I see Kaitlan Collins, I click.

[–] frustrated_phagocytosis@fedia.io 8 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Are they asking the booths how much foot traffic they need to justify the state expenditure to be there? Because they are wasting taxpayer money to be bored and hot currently.

[–] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 4 points 4 days ago

Are they asking the booths how much foot traffic they need to justify the state expenditure to be there? Because they are wasting taxpayer money to be bored and hot currently.

It would be a pittance compared to the billions Trump is stealing from taxpayers. At least the people paid to run the booths are regular people and not billionaires.

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[–] bayleaf@piefed.ca 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Since the article doesn't include a video clip of the CNN segment, I wonder if Kaitlan Collins did it with a big smile.

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[–] Blooper@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago

I really wanted to watch the video but maybe because I'm on moving, that site is a shit show. The ads interrupt the video every few seconds.

[–] anarchy79@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

Kaitlan is a national treasure.

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