Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," expressed skepticism and amusement regarding President Donald Trump's claims about the attendance at the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C. Trump asserted on his Truth Social platform that "at least 45,000" people were present for his speech on the opening night of the event.
Brzezinski challenged Trump's statement, labeling it as "gaslighting about crowd size." She referenced multiple news reports that offered a contrasting view. NBC News, for example, reported that the crowd consisted of "more than 1,000" people. The Washington Post described the attendance as "thinly covered an area about the length of the National Museum of American History, smaller than some summer outdoor movie screenings."
During Monday's broadcast, Brzezinski reacted to a Fox News segment that seemed to defend Trump's claims, with a commentator suggesting "pictures don’t tell the full story" and that visitors would encounter "a wash of people." Brzezinski responded with laughter, stating, "Oh my God. Ouch! OK."
Conservative journalist Jonah Goldberg also questioned the Fox News report, writing on X, "If only they had employees who know how to operate cameras that could capture these images he describes," while sharing the "wash of people" comment.
The Great American State Fair, which aims to honor America's 250th anniversary and runs through July 10, also faced pre-opening challenges. Several high-profile musical acts, including Martina McBride and Bret Michaels, withdrew from performing. Rapper Vanilla Ice canceled his scheduled appearance due to inclement weather.
President Trump has defended his administration's handling of the event, posting on Truth Social early 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?" He further questioned, "DO YOU THINK THAT OBUMA OR SLEEPY JOE BIDEN COULD HAVE DONE IT? THE ANSWER IS NO!"