In the past, Patriot’s Day Freedom Fest organizer Eric Deters has called the annual Kentucky-set right-wing celebration “the best MAGA event.” Now, days before the Saturday festivities, Deters has decided to pull the plug on that event after learning that only six VIP tickets sold for the 2026 Freedom Fest.
“Out of all these people that have money that I interact with, who I do favors for all day long,” Deters said in a now-deleted Facebook video, according to Newsweek. “They ask me for something, I never say no. I never said no to these people.”
But these people presumably didn’t help Deters out in turn. The event, which was set to feature appearances from Kid Rock, Dog the Bounty Hunter and Fox News’ Joe Concha, was set up to be entirely free to the public. The costs were intended to be offset by VIP ticket sales, which were $1,000 a piece and granted access to an exclusive hospitality tent, a premium viewing area, special meet-and-greet opportunities and more.
“When I put together Patriot State Freedom Fest, I put it together with the game plan and the idea that I could pay for it with the VIP sales of $1,000 from these hundred people that I interact with on a regular basis that have money,” Deters said in the video.
“None of these people will ever, ever, ever get a favor from me again, ever,” he later added. “Not only will they never get a favor from me again.”
In 2023, Deters pleaded guilty to a menacing charge concerning a 2022 vehicle chase with his nephew. Around the same time, Deters ran for Kentucky governor, losing in the Republican primary. He started Freedom Fest in 2022.
But now, Deters swears to “never ever, ever, ever, ever (do) this event again,” sharing that “financial obligations” keep him from covering costs himself as he has before.
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