The Iowa State Fair kicked off under a steady rain that forced that cancellation of one scheduled Vanilla Ice concert, as visitors could still wander past a towering dinosaur rib‑cage display and attend rallies and speeches linked to what promoters have dubbed the Great American State Fair tied to former President Trump.
Following the Iowa kickoff, a wave of state agricultural departments announced they would skip the fair after disputes over the Trump‑aligned branding, with at least five states withdrawing their exhibits and delegations, underscoring mounting friction between the fair’s political orientation and traditional fair partnerships; officials stated the withdrawals could reduce the fair’s livestock entries by roughly a third.