Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki criticized the organization and attendance of President Donald Trump's Great American State Fair, describing it as an "unmitigated disaster" and a "bizarre two-bit right-wing circus." Psaki, now a host for MS NOW, used footage from the event to illustrate her points.
During the broadcast, Psaki showed clips of sparse crowds at the fair, held on the National Mall. One clip featured a man defending the Salem witch trials, suggesting they "weren’t organized enough" and would have been improved with a "grand inquisitor." Another showed a stage collapsing during a rehearsal.
Psaki pointed to live broadcasts from Fox News covering the event, suggesting the network's anchors overstated attendance figures. "I want you to pay very close attention to the live images of the National Mall behind the anchors while they are talking," she instructed viewers, contrasting the anchors' claims of "thousands of people" and a "wash of people" with the visible sparse crowds.
Psaki suggested that the event's perceived failures were representative of the Trump administration. "A bizarre two-bit right-wing circus that is deeply unpopular with the American people," she stated. She characterized the fair as a "perfect encapsulation" of Trump's presidency, citing "unpopularity, the poor execution, the focus on Trump and his ego, the rampant corruption and cronyism, the weaponization of justice."
The event, intended to celebrate America's 250th birthday, reportedly cost $68 million in taxpayer funds. Psaki indicated she would further detail how these funds were allocated.