After failing to find a company to represent Pa., Gov. Shapiro says the state won’t participate in Trump’s 250th fair
“None were interested,” Shapiro said, blaming the president for politicizing the event.
Gov. Josh Shapiro said that Pennsylvania will not be participating in President Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair, after failing to find a company willing to represent the state at the White House celebration of the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding on the National Mall.
Pennsylvania’s state government, like some other Democratic-led states, had already chosen to not sponsor a booth at the 16-day fair that began Wednesday, citing the event’s partisan bent and cost. But Shapiro’s office had been trying to connect Freedom 250, the nonprofit organization behind the fair, with organizations and companies that could represent the state, according to federal and state sources familiar with the planning.
As recently as this month, Pennsylvania was still actively seeking companies to represent the state where the nation’s independence was declared.
Rosie Lapowsky, Shapiro’s spokesperson, confirmed to The Inquirer Thursday that Pennsylvania gave up that effort and is joining seven other states — Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, and Washington — that will also not be in attendance.
The news that Pennsylvania will officially not be part of the celebration was first reported by The New Republic, a liberal-leaning politics magazine.
“None were interested,” Shapiro said to TNR. “It reflects this sad state of affairs that we find ourselves in—that the president has politicized this to a degree that businesses don’t want to participate.”
TNR reported that, with the help of the Chamber of Commerce, Shapiro’s team queried businesses, small and large, but was unsuccessful in finding companies willing to associate themselves with Trump’s 250th anniversary events, which the president has described as “the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY.”
The fair, held at the National Mall to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary, features pavilions representing the 50 states and U.S. territories. While other states are sending additional personnel and organizations to the pavilions, Pennsylvania and the other states that will not be in attendance will not.
“Whether represented by a governor’s office, a tourism board, or a beloved state company or organization, every community will be celebrated, and every American will see themselves in this once-in-a-generation event,” Rachel Reisner, a spokesperson for Freedom 250, said in a statement to NOTUS earlier this month.
