'Now there's a stampede': Chaotic scenes emerge amid evacuation order at Trump's fair

Source: Raw Story

July 4, 2026 9:03PM ET


A number of journalists reporting on the ground at the Great American State Fair have shared video of chaotic scenes unfolding after an evacuation order was issued due to severe weather, chaos sparked by “several hundred” attendees who refused to leave the National Mall.

“Look, look, it’s a stampede, they’re jumping over the things, people are falling down right over here!” said controversial far-right journalist James O’Keefe, reporting from the National Mall in a video uploaded to social media Saturday evening. “They evacuated everything, and now there’s a stampede!”

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued Saturday night, leading local law enforcement officials to order fair attendees to evacuate. The Secret Service suspended security screenings at the fair and urged attendees to “move to shelter immediately.” According to several journalists reporting on the ground, however, a number of attendees have refused evacuation orders.

“Chaos right now on the Washington Monument ground as the Secret Service tells everyone to leave, then someone says ‘mic check’ on the stage and people rush back in,” wrote CBS News’ Tony Dokoupil on a social media post on X. Savanah Hernandez, a contributor for the conservative advocacy organization Turning Point USA, shared video of a chaotic scene showing attendees “chanting ‘USA USA’ and attempting to run back into the ‘Salute America’ event.”

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/great-american-state-fair-2677158854/