Despite being one of only a few artists not to pull out of Freedom 250, the White House canceled Vanilla Ice‘s set at the last minute.
On Friday, the Trump-backed semiquincentennial event pulled the plug on the Grammy nominee’s performance, citing “inclement weather” in the Washington D.C. area for the abrupt cancellation.
“Due to inclement weather in the area, the Freedom 250 Great American State Fair and FIFA World Cup 2026™ Fan Zone will be closed for the rest of the day — Friday, June 26, 2026,” an event staffer posted to X on Friday.
“The safety of our guests, staff, and partners remains our top priority. We are actively monitoring conditions and will provide updates as they become available,” they added. “The Great American State Fair will reopen tomorrow at 10 AM.”
The announcement came shortly after the “Ice Ice Baby” artist posted a video from sound check at the National Mall, where the Great American State Fair is set to run through July 10.
“Guess where we are,” he said in the clip. “We got the [Washington] Monument right there. We’re about to have a great party tonight. This is gonna be epic.”
Last month, Vanilla Ice defended his decision to perform at the Freedom 250 event after musicians like Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, Morris Day, Young MC and The Commodores dropped out over Trump’s affiliation with the celebration.
“Happy birthday America 250 years. It’s gonna be an epic party,” he captioned a video on Instagram. “This is to bring us all together. I’m tired of all the news channels dividing this country. We are all one. This is not a political platform. This is celebrating America’s birthday. Nothing too serious just enjoying some fun, dancing and great memories. Hope you guys can join us.”
Freedom 250 is the public-private group formed by the Trump administration to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.


