Trump Held a Fair And (Almost) No One Came

Pod Save America

Trump promoted a poorly attended National Mall fair as a major success, despite sparse crowds, weather issues, and lack of state participation. The episode critiques the event’s failure and Trump’s self-aggrandizing tact

Key takeaways

• Trump's 'Great American State Fair' drew few visitors

Transcript preview

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But he likes it and he can operate it from your phone and keeps you nice and safe, great technology, so check it out. Right now our listeners will get 50% off a new system when you sign up for a professional monitoring and your Just visit simply safe dot com slash cricked that's half off at simply safe com slash cricked there's no safe like simply safe I'm John Lovet. And Tommy Utah. On today's show, we got major Supreme Court decisions on mail-in voting and Donald Trump's right to fire agency heads he doesn't like. It's decision time for Trump on the bipartisan housing bill, which he has threatened to hold hostage until the Save Act passes. And Democratic socialists are feeling the momentum after last week's primaries in New York, with big primaries in Colorado today. Then Heather Williams, president of the Democratic legislative campaign committee stopped by to talk about breaking Republican trfectus and building Democratic and building Democratic ones and building Democratic ones and building Democratic bunch of key states and how critical it is that you get involved in the down ballot races happening wherever you are. But let's begin where Trump kicked off his week, posting this at 6.30 a.m. on Monday. Do you think people appreciate what a fantastic job we did in building and operating the great American state fair at the National Mall packed with happy people and everybody loving it? Question mark? Ask yourself this simple question. And now we're in all caps. Do you think that Obama, he wants to say Obama. He wants to say Obama, he but he spells it O-B-U-M-A so it's like obama. Yeah it just looks like a typo. I think it's like a bummer. Right of course but he's short-handing yeah he's not quite getting there. Do you think that Obama or sleepy Joe Biden could have done it? The answer is no. President is of course referring to the 16-day exposition on the National Mall that will run through July 10th to celebrate America's 250, an event run by freedom, freedom, years ago. Why 16 days? That's such a weird number of days. Yeah, I don't know. Okay. I don't know. I don't know. It's a good question. A question I don't have the answer to. Two weeks with an extra weekend. Okay. I guess. Started last week. So no weeks really work. Right, but it'll be a set you because it'll be Saturday to a Sunday. Yeah, two weeks. Two weeks. Two weeks. This is the one thing. with the exception of Flo Rida and vanilla ice. 10 states have also decided not to participate and the opening weekend was plagued by extreme heat, rain, power outages, and sparse crowds. You never know this if you listen to Maguworld where everyone thinks it's going great. 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. You ever in your wildest dreams think you may be doing your Sunday show from 18. State Fair on the National Mall. How great is this? It's really something and the weather not the best today but people are still coming out. Help me out I want to be a part of this. Well it's a great day for it Larry good afternoon perhaps now the closing bell is here we're gonna get more people coming out here now that work is done you mentioned the latest with the wrong. If you look behind us you see okay there a couple hundred people back there but the truth is when you make your way over here and you're in this lot you're in a wash of people. There's tons of people here. It's a huge space and it's just going to get more and more bad as the week goes on. It's a good song. Yeah, way, yeah, way. Yeah, way, yeah, way. Yeah, we have to give a big round of applause for our military band and singers way better than those libtards that cancelled on us. about the lib tards. What do you guys think? Happy 250th. How are you feeling about the festivities Trump has organized? The Freedom 250, America 250 split in the 10 states that aren't participating. I thought the performance by Manny was really good. Do you guys catch that one? You didn't see Maga Mani, the live streamer who jerked off in front of the acrobat troop? Oh, we forgot about the guy that jerked off in the Uncle Sam costume. arrested by Park police for masturbating in front of an acrobat troop called the CERC mechanics. Can you blame him? According to the independent. Fairly he was vaping, recording, and then had a hand through the pocket of the overall. So he's holding the vape and the phone. The vape was in the mouth. I was going to say, how many appenditers do we have here? And then another witness said he came back for round two later and that's what I think the park police got him. Not bad for 54. That's a good point. Yeah. I love that it did look sparse, but now that the closing bell. The traders leaving the floor of the stock exchange. Where in DC gonna run up to go check out the latest quilting, I suppose. Also, there's just something about all the, like, the thing that I was thinking about is watching this over the weekend is just how much, like the whole maga world is online. It just exists online. online, the caricatures of the cities that are going to hell online, just people talking to each other about how America is going down the tubes on the internet and on Fox News. But like Larry Cuddlow is like, oh it looks like a, when's the last time Larry Cuddlow at a fucking corn dog? What was the last time he walked around to State Fair? Like none of these people look like they're at home in a kind of outdoor event with their fellow citizens. It's got away for the closing though. It's so funny that Fox news. It's so funny. It's in front of no one it's just green fields no one and then mani jerking off I also love that the comment like did you ever think you'd be doing your live shot from a state fair and a hypothetical yeah what is like it's it's again who would a thunk it but it's just that's what I mean it's like these are just people that seem like kind of unfamiliar with the country on some level like state bears are great they're all over the country there are a lot of different most states fried foods you can get. Like that was the vibe you could have had if this weren't taken over by Trump. Like he took he took something that was bipartisan and a decade in the making you can actually go online and read what the original plan is I don't think it would have you know what is gonna change the country or anything but it would have been nice there was like a lot of events happening all across the country there would have been a kind of a national event for craftmakers it would have been big concerts by famous people there was a lot of money set aside Trump took that money took that money, boondoggle and now nobody's showing up. And for even though it's a 501c3 apparently donors who donate a million dollars or more can secure an invitation to a private reception hosted by Trump himself. There's not a lot of transparency on the finances of Freedom 250 and even though they've taken most of the money that was supposed to go to America 250 from taxpayers. And we do have some corporate sponsors as well of course your Northrop Grummons, you're United Health Groups or SpaceX. the little army a robot dog kind of marching around like filming people and performing it's very dystopian there I was uh the Ferris wheel I was I read devil in the white city recently I'm on Eric Larson kick which is about the world's fair in Chicago in 1893 I believe and that was when the first Ferris wheel was built and it was this marvel because they were trying to rival the Iful tower and all the Europeans were like oh those Americans they'll never be able to build a thing and then we built a ferris wheel that was basically a steel tower that was like America is building an Eiffel Tower basically the size of Eiffel Tower and then you would get on it and you would rotate freak people to fuck out when people like tried to jump off it they were freaking out because like we were saying you know what eat shit Europe we're gonna make something awesome we're gonna build skyscrapers we're gonna be a cool country and wait till you see what America's gonna do and now here we are a hundred and 30 years later we got this jagoff you know for hours because of generator issues and also there were power outages that spoiled like all the food and melted all the ice cream on the first day. And last minute vanilla ice canceled because of inclement weather even though he had previously said rain or shine he was going to be there. Did you read the profile? That doesn't sound like the vanilla ice I know. Did you read his profile in the Atlantic? No. Fascinating. He claims to have performed for the Taliban. Just one little tid bit for you to wet your be? Do you. Do you remember when he said that? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you that he had claimed like the vanilla ice thing that he hadn't taken under pressure. There's a great clip where he's like no that one's doom doom doom dom dom dom dom dom dom do and mine is doom doom dom dom do that's the same thing that's the same thing. It's also funny some of them mailed it in like Connecticut Maine I think shared a space put up four chairs and then Maine just had lobster facts on the wall and they're like a totin top copse I mean the North Carolina booth had a Confederate flag up so you're not yeah that's right you're not far from well because that was because that was take because North Carolina didn't do it so like a private somehow someone other group did it even though by the way that was never any that flag was not the North Carolina flag not associated with the state of North Carolina so they just wanted to throw one up there it's just kind of a bummer like it's not it's not the biggest deal it's not the biggest deal it's not the biggest deal of anything it's not the biggest deal it's not the biggest deal it's not the biggest deal it's not the biggest deal it's not the biggest deal it's not the biggest deal it's not the biggest deal it's not the biggest deal it's not the biggest deal it's not the entertainment that anyone could feel welcome you know participating he could have just done nothing he could just let the group America 250 that existed had bipartisan membership had a lot of his allies on it come out make a little speech on the fourth yeah that would have been offensive to us he would have come out there and said something terrible right but whatever he could just let it happen but instead he got his his mitts on it ruined it I will say NBC and then the New Republic went out and interviewed a bunch of people and then the New Republic went out and interviewed a bunch of that didn't like Trump were like it's fine this is great this is cool and I do like that one attendee named Scott said to the new republic I like this I don't really take Trump into consideration he's gonna be gone in three years dead in 10 he's not gonna take away my joy of this event he's the president but he's not God even though he thinks he is I wasn't gonna come to this but then I thought you know I'm not gonna let him take it away I like that is the attitude away the fireworks show in DC doesn't start until 11 p.m. Eastern because he has to give a long speech right that's what they're saying I maybe it's weather too that's so late it's so late for fireworks we're so old we're so old probably no that's crazy no I the sun goes down you look up when sunset is whenever that is I want five minutes later explosions in the sky kids to be able to go when I was a kid yeah we used to our town was like 9 p.m.m. yeah a lot of sense. Oh there we go okay I'm sorry I'm getting on my my my high horse so one DC event that will undoubtedly be packed crooked kind of November and it's fine to crank one out in front of the main stage there yes it's yes because then Tommy will feel like you know he's got someone else we'll applaud you back yeah he's not the only one doing let let her rip you can still get tickets you can still get discounted tickets if you become a crooked subscriber you also get ad free episodes of all your favorite crooked pods subscribe sign up at crooked.com slash friends. So with his fair getting rained out on Sunday, Trump spent the morning motorcating around the Capitol. He's busy rebuilding as a monument to himself. He toured the East Potomac golf links and will start renovations on that federally owned public course September 1st despite a federal judge threatening quote serious consequences if he moves ahead without approval which he seems to be doing. The president is also planning to redesign Lafayette Park, which is the one right in front of the White House. so that it contains exactly 47 maple trees in honor of Trump. That's according to the Washington Post. If you're in town visiting and hop on over to the Washington Passport Agency, you might be able to pick up a limited edition US Passport featuring a photo of Trump at the Resolute Desk in front of the Declaration of Independence, which Trump described as saying, quote, welcome, but be good, even though those words don't actually appear on the passport, or make any sense. Yes, that's not what passports are for. I did, when I saw this, because he said this passport says this, and a lot of people were like, but that's not what passports are for, you're a citizen, it's not a welcoming document, you can only get it here, right? It's to leave. It's not a green course. Right, it's to leave and come back. I think he's a little confused. But I think he was describing his own portrait, in a citizenship. Anyway, that was my interpretation. Act now while supplies last. Closer to home, the Atlantic's Michael Shearer found out that the new White House colonnade walkway made of, quote, polished African granite carved in Italy, the Trump said he paid for himself was actually paid for by us, about $690,000 charged to the taxpayers. I didn't even know that had happened. No, I didn't either. I didn't either. I didn't either. I didn't either. There was apparently another couple hundred thousand dollars spent on the wall next to the colonnade. because remember he put up the pictures all the pictures and you had to like do something to the wall I don't know why it cost that much money but to do something to the wall in order to put up all those pictures and so that cost money as well have you guys said thank you yet you even said thank you just a math scores in the schools are continuing to slide it's gonna flag some problems that are getting worse while he's been president I just I think that the Lafayette Park 47 tree tribute demand is actually quite instructive because for those who've or gone to Lafayette Park, it is nothing. I can't overstate how underwhelming and shitty of a little park it is. I've been through it a thousand times, I'm sure you guys have too, because like you get off the bus or you get off the metro, you walk a block and you walk through it to get to the White House. And it's like usually there's just a lot of squirrels and like a couple crazy people and then that one protest that's been there for like 30 years the anti-war protest. this man. It's also no one knows if he wants to add trees or subtract trees because no one knows how many trees there are in Lafayette Park because who would count such a thing. It's just a park with a bunch of trees and now we're gonna go figure out whether we have to add more trees or take more trees. And our maple trees only? That's his favorite. Yeah, it's gotta go with his favorite. Everything's his favorite. Everything's about him. His favorite, his picture everywhere. I gotta say though, you know, at this point? The arc. Great. meetings and pool meetings as possible. He is not busy enough. If he wants to plant a couple trees, we're just three chopped trees away from it being the Obama Lafayette Park tribute, so whatever. Have at it. Plant your fucking trees, fucking asshole. But it's the absurd, you imagine, could you imagine if in the last year of his administration, Joe Biden was wandering around the various grounds talking about the renovations he was going to be doing and what kind of reaction you would be hearing right now. from the right it be a big hearing it from us. You be hearing from us. 25 minutes time. Oh boy. All right. Plant away, buddy. Plant away. Yeah, enjoy those trees. Let's get to some more consequential news. The Supreme Court handed down a few big decisions on Monday as it closes out its term. The court declined to throw out the 2023 jury verdict finding Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll, meaning he has to pay her that $5 million. the court also held the fourth amendment covers your cell phone location history even when you've agreed that a third party like Google or Apple can record it meaning police now need a specific warrant to get it rather than a so-called geofence warrant that sweeps up the movements of every phone in a particular area so that seems good both of those seem good right we have some other ones to get through but we start with e. gene keros and the geofensing yeah I mean the geofensing one is just interesting it's also interesting that it's like it's a non-ide it's a non-ide it's a non-ide it's a non-ide it's a non-ide ideologically mixed ruling in part because I do think it's like a novel question and if we are going to have be kind of allowing these companies to track us digitally including in ways that in a previous era would have been only private information then it's still being like Google has already changed their policy so your location data is stored on your phone they did that to avoid this issue but if my