Fox News “Outnumbered” co-host Emily Compagno ignited a firestorm on June 30 when she declared that state officials who refused to participate in President Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair should be permanently barred from seeking higher office — a demand that drew swift attention as the 16-day event itself faced a mounting wave of bad press.

Compagno, 46, directed her anger at the 10 states that declined to send official delegations to the Freedom 250 celebrations in Washington, D.C. — a group that included states from across the country such as those in New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the South, the Pacific Northwest, and the Midwest. The fair had been conceived as a grand showcase with all 50 states represented, a so-called world-class exposition designed to mark the nation’s 250th birthday. Instead, it became an embarrassment for its organizers almost from the moment it opened.

Compagno Goes After Boycotting Officials

Speaking on “Outnumbered,” the legal analyst unloaded on the officials who chose to stay away, arguing their refusal amounted to a betrayal of their own constituents. She said their absence sent a clear message: that personal politics had overridden their duty to the public. Co-host Harris Faulkner responded by agreeing with Compagno’s assessment.

Compagno argued that citizens in those states had been robbed of their moment to celebrate a major national milestone. “I find this so patently embarrassing, and I think that this frankly should be disqualifying for any of them that are seeking higher office,” she said. She called on voters to hold those officials accountable at the ballot box, urging the public to remember their absence the next time those politicians came looking for votes.

State officials who sat out the event pointed to significant financial barriers, difficulty finding corporate underwriters, and concerns about becoming entangled in a politicized celebration. Compagno rejected those rationales entirely, casting them as disguised expressions of hostility toward the presidency and the country.

The Fair’s Troubled Opening Days

Visitors who made the trip to Washington, D.C., encountered sparse crowds, unstaffed and empty booths, melted ice cream, and canceled concerts — a sharp departure from the ambitious vision organizers had promoted. Among the fair’s headline attractions were a Freedom 250 Ferris wheel and a plywood replica of President Trump’s proposed triumphal arch.

A teenager who traveled from Alaska specifically to see her home state’s pavilion came away visibly deflated by how bare and underwhelming the display was.

The fair’s troubles have since escalated beyond crowd size and empty booths. Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee released a 55-page report accusing Freedom 250, the group organizing the fair, of exploiting the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations for profit through questionable fundraising practices — allegations Freedom 250 has denied as “categorically false.”

President Trump opened the fair last week with a rally and later claimed on Truth Social that the venue had been “packed to the brim” with 45,000 attendees. Footage from inside the event told a different story, showing audience members filing out during Trump’s speech — a speech that leaned heavily on his standard repertoire of talking points.

North Carolina Pavilion Stirs Controversy

North Carolina’s situation added another layer of embarrassment to the proceedings. The state government had declined to participate, citing costs — so private businesses stepped in to fund and assemble a pavilion in its place. One of those companies, Mt. Olive Pickles, a century-old North Carolina institution, quickly found itself in an uncomfortable spotlight after a Confederate flag appeared in a video playing inside the exhibit.

The company said it had no knowledge the imagery had been included and moved swiftly to pull out of the fair entirely. In a public statement, Mt. Olive Pickles said it had agreed to participate in an exhibit meant to showcase the best of North Carolina and stressed that the company’s values center on human dignity, opportunity, and freedom — none of which, it implied, were compatible with the flag’s appearance.

A Cow Named After the First Lady

Among the stranger footnotes to the fair’s opening stretch: organizers arranged for a cow to be named after First Lady Melania Trump, a gesture that struck many observers as an odd tribute. The moment quickly circulated online, adding to the general sense that the event had veered well outside the bounds of a conventional national celebration.