Dean Cain says anyone questioning state fair attendance numbers "anti-American"

Superman actor Dean Cain said that anyone questioning the attendance numbers of President Donald Trump’s “Great American State Fair” is “anti-American,” insisting that “there were thousands of people” at the event.

Cain, known for his role as Clark Kent in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, posted a picture showing the “view from atop the Ferris wheel at the Great American State Fair” on Saturday.

The photo looks down over the National Mall toward the Washington Monument. It shows the fairgrounds lined with white exhibition tents and scattered groups of people walking or standing across a large central lawn, with no obvious crowding visible from the vantage point.

Attendance at Trump’s “Great American State Fair,” a White House-backed festival on the National Mall marking America's 250th anniversary, has become a political flash point. Since the event opened last week, critics have pointed to photos and videos they say show sparse crowds, while Trump and his allies have insisted turnout has been strong, with the president claiming as many as 45,000 people attended the kickoff rally on Wednesday night.

Newsweek has contacted the White House, via email outside normal working hours, for comment.

Replying to someone else’s question about attendance, Cain, who last year said he was joining Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said: “Tons of people—but not just sitting on the grass… it’s hot outside! That’s only a ‘partial’ view.”

He later wrote on X: “Any negative reactions to this post expose the haters as anti-American. Seek help.”

Former Representative Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican and CNN political commentator who became one of Trump's most prominent GOP critics after the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, commented on Cain’s photo, saying: “Hahahaha dude this is not the picture to show. All 6 people.”

Cain responded: “There were thousands of people there and all around DC today, Adam. Why do you wish it was empty? That seems odd...”

A photo shared by White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt on social media has also been seized by Trump’s opponents to argue that the event on the National Mall did not gather the crowds promised.

On Sunday, Leavitt shared a picture of herself on X holding one of her two children, Nicholas, in front of the same Ferris wheel that appears in Cain’s post, along with a photo of the little boy looking at chicks.

“Fun day at the Great American State Fair!” she wrote. “How cool is it that we are alive during this historic time and we get to experience America’s 250th birthday!? Looking forward to making more lifelong memories over the course of this very special week!!”

Political commentator Harry Sisson, who often criticizes the Trump administration, reshared Leavitt's photo that showed her standing in front of a largely empty lawn, writing: “Karoline Leavitt just accidentally proved how empty Trump’s state fair is. You can’t make this stuff up.”

Disputes over attendance have followed Trump throughout his political career, with the president frequently pointing to crowd sizes as evidence of his popularity while critics have challenged those claims.

The issue first became a defining controversy of Trump’s presidency after his 2017 inauguration, when then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer said it had drawn "the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration," a claim widely disputed using transit data and aerial imagery.

Since then, Trump has repeatedly touted attendance at campaign rallies and public appearances, while critics have scrutinized photographs and videos in an effort to challenge those figures. Newsweek has broken down a timeline of Trump’s crowd claims here.

Fox News hosts said there were “thousands” of people at Trump’s event, even with the rain falling.

“I’m not kidding. I think there were thousands,” The Big Weekend Show panelist Johnny "Joey" Jones said during coverage of the event on Saturday.

“The North Carolina booth was counting 880 people an hour coming through their booth. Unless they have the same 880 people lined up going around, there are thousands of people here,” he said.

The panelist was mocked on social media, with Sisson writing on X, “Fox News can’t cope with the fact that nobody showed up to Trump’s fair.”

Another X user wrote, “Thousands of people? Where??” Yet another commented, “Are they all wearing green camo?”

Drop Site reporter Julian Andreone shared an image of himself standing in front of a stage at the fair, alone, writing: “Packed house! (Yes, the performance is actively going on)”

The debate over attendance is the latest in a series of issues to affect the “Great American State Fair” since it opened last week.

The event's opening day was disrupted by a temporary power outage that halted attractions, including the Ferris wheel featured in Cain's photo, while organizers worked to restore electricity.

The fair has also faced political controversy over participation. Several Democratic-led states declined to send official delegations, prompting criticism from the White House, which has billed the event as a bipartisan celebration marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Most recently, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein criticized organizers after a Confederate flag was displayed in the state’s exhibition booth, calling for its removal. The White House later said the flag had been taken down after it was brought to officials’ attention.

Update 6/29/26, 3:53 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.