Published on 6/29/2026
White House spokeswoman Carolyn Leavitt sparked controversy after sharing a photo on the X platform on Sunday, in which she appeared at the “Great American State Fair” organized by President Donald Trump. However, the photo revealed that public turnout for the fair was very weak, which put the president in an embarrassing position, according to The Daily Beast.
In the photo, Levitt (28 years old) appears holding her two-year-old son in front of a wooden copy of what Trump proposed as the “Arc of Triumph” on the National Mall, while her background appeared completely devoid of crowds.
The photo was met with a wave of ridicule, as one follower wrote, “It seems that you came early, there is no one there,” and another commented, “Did you come the day before? There are only two maintenance workers behind you.”
This scene was repeated during an interview with Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy, where the crowd behind her appeared noticeably small despite her promotion of the upcoming fireworks display on the occasion of Independence Day.
This comes in addition to a series of criticisms directed at the 16-day festival celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, according to a report by The Daily Beast.
Trump, 80, said that his opening speech on Wednesday attracted more than 45,000 people, but CNN videos showed large spaces empty moments before the president’s speech, and reports from The Bullwark indicated that the crowds began to dwindle before Trump finished his speech.
The event, organized by the Freedom 250 organization, has faced several crises since its launch, including two postponements due to bad weather conditions, one of which led to the cancellation of the artist “Vanilla Ice’s” show, in addition to criticism of the list of exhibits and high prices, as well as an electrical malfunction on Thursday that caused vendors’ ice cream stocks to melt.
In addition to these logistical obstacles, Freedom 250 faces accusations of diverting millions of dollars in taxpayer money from America 250, the national nonpartisan organization assigned by Congress to oversee the official celebrations of the 250th anniversary. There has been no comment from the White House on these matters.
