Dr. Oz sees 'tons of people' at State Fair, but one camera pan paints a different picture

President Donald Trump has touted the Great American State Fair, celebrating America's 250th birthday, as one of the biggest and most popular spectacles of the year, praising officials for a "fantastic job" and praising himself for achieving what he believes former presidents could never achieve. In a post on Truth Social, the President had written, "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? Ask yourself this simple question, “DO YOU THINK THAT OBUMA OR SLEEPY JOE BIDEN COULD HAVE DONE IT?” THE ANSWER IS NO!" 

However, since the 16-day national exposition kicked off on June 25, videos emerging from the National Mall have shown far more modest crowds than the administration promised. And that contrast went viral when Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz claimed the venue was packed with "tons of people," only for a live camera pan to prove him wrong before he could complete the sentence.

Speaking on stage to a small and scattered gathering of people, Dr. Oz proclaimed, "There are tons of people here. It is a huge space, and it is going to get more and more crowded as the week goes on." But as he was speaking, TMZ cameraman Charlie Cotton painted a vastly different picture, showing a handful of attendees.

Political commentator and Trump critic Harry Sisson shared the video on X and called it embarrassing. "This is incredibly embarrassing for Trump. Dr. Oz spoke at the state fair in DC today and said the crowd was huge… and then the camera panned, showing empty fields," he wrote. Another recent video shows a band performing on the stage to an almost empty field, as the Great American State Fair struggles to attract visitors.

Despite being touted as the nation's 250th birthday celebration, the event faced several hurdles in the days leading up to it. One of the biggest setbacks was when almost every musical artist backed out of performing, citing the State Fair as a political event rather than a celebration for Americans. At the time, Trump had claimed that he would be the sole star attraction. Vanilla Ice, who was the only one who did not back out, abruptly cancelled his set, citing weather concerns.

But it is not just artists who backed out. The State Fair was supposed to showcase the history and culture of all 50 states. However, according to CNN, officials from Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, Illinois, North Carolina, and Connecticut said they declined the Trump administration's invitation. It turns out that certain companies have also backed out while the State Fair was on, including North Carolina's Mt. Olive Pickles.

The company, founded in 1926, as per The Daily Beast, was made aware by a visitor that its products were being sold beside the Confederate flag. The company clarified on X that it was invited to "participate in the North Carolina exhibit for the Great American State Fair." However, company officials did not have any idea that that particular flag was also present. "We were unaware that an image of the Confederate flag was included in a video as part of this exhibit, and we have withdrawn our participation," it wrote on X.