Country singer Alexis Wilkins, the girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, defended her performance slot at the Great American State Fair on Wednesday as a gig she garnered on her merits.
Wilkins, who averages about 5,800 monthly listeners on Spotify, wrote on X that she was “invited to sing this anthem on my own accord” at Wednesday evening’s event on the National Mall and would not receive payment “for this great honor” after facing criticism that her connection to Patel influenced the booking.
“I have been a country music artist for years now. I have had a successful career in both music and commentary/strategy,” Wilkins wrote. “People don’t get to negate that for clicks or headlines.”
Freedom 250 did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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The musical performance on the National Mall and other events are being organized by Freedom 250, the Trump-created group that bills itself as nonpartisan, as part of President Donald Trump’s plans to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding. Freedom 250, which is backed by a few conservative and religious nonprofit organizations as “participating partners,” is a separate entity from America250, a bipartisan commission created by Congress a decade ago.
Freedom 250’s original concert lineup imploded immediately after the first slate of singers was announced in May. Within days, multiple artists dropped out, and some claimed they were unaware of the event’s political connections.
Rapper Young MC wrote on Facebook that he was not told of any “political involvement” and hoped to return to D.C. at an event that was “not so politically charged.” Country singer Martina McBride said in an Instagram post that she was misled. And the Commodores said in a statement that they “choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party. We support the betterment of all Americans.”
Trump announced an overhauled event earlier this month. He is scheduled to speak Wednesday evening, and the ceremony is set to include military flyovers, performances by the U.S. Marine Band, Lee Greenwood and others.
“We don’t want singers with no talent, but big fees to put you to sleep, we’ve told them all to stay home,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “All we want is you, me, a few speakers, and the Greatest Music ever played, the same Music you have listened to for years!”
Wilkins, 27, announced Tuesday she was joining the event as a “featured performer.” The inclusion in the Trump event isn’t the first time Wilkins’ relationship with Patel has faced scrutiny: He reportedly misused FBI aircraft to visit her in Nashville, and she was assigned an FBI security detail that the bureau said was necessary due to “hundreds of credible death threats.”
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