Indie country artist Alexis Wilkins has responded to the controversy surrounding her latest live booking for the upcoming Great American State Fair, part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, in Washington, telling her critics that she was hired on her merits as a singer, not because she is a longtime friend of FBI Director Kash Patel.
Wilkins, 27, is resisting the idea of being chosen to perform the national anthem at the tumultuous event promoted by President Trump that quickly saw several major performers withdraw. She was added to the dwindling lineup Tuesday amid ongoing controversy over booking for the event scheduled to be held on the National Mall.
“What a great honor to be part of the 250th birth anniversary of this great nation!” Wilkins wrote on Channel X on Tuesday about the last-minute booking, including a photo of her singing with the Washington Monument in the background.
Within two hours, Wilkins’ responses to the post were filled with accusations of nepotism, questioning the use of taxpayer money to book her and mocking her honesty about her selection as an artist after a high-profile exit from the event. Wilkins was quick to defend her participation and its merits as a musical act.
“I’ve been a country music artist for years. I’ve had a successful career in both music and commentary/strategy,” she wrote. “People can’t deny it because of the clicks or the headlines. I was invited to sing this anthem with my own consent, as I have been in many other places throughout my career.”
Wilkins began her journey as a country singer in 2020 and mostly sang at small private events attended by conservatives. She has released an extended play album and several singles. The single concert date listed on her website is an upcoming concert at a Chicago restaurant in July; Over the weekend, she was on the bill at a country music festival in New Jersey.
Wilkins’ response to X on Tuesday to critics went viral, and while she dismissed some of the claims about her booking at the event, she unleashed her frustration as she addressed the criticism she’s faced since she started dating Patel after meeting him at a party in 2023.
“2. I do not accept any money for this great honour,” she wrote in a comment from freelance journalist Sarah Higdon. “3. The entire Freedom250 celebration is a fundraiser; none of the UFC celebrations nor any celebrations on the National Mall are funded by taxpayers (you would think, as a journalist, that this is something you would know or at least look into). I no longer accept false narratives and complete false accusations that diminish my hard work and the accomplishments I have made, so please expect this type of response to continue.”
While Wilkins struggled to launch her country music career from Nashville, where she now lives, her romance with Patel made her known for all the wrong reasons. She has become the target of Liberal taxpayers who insist her security detail and lavish transport are excessive and out of line for a Cabinet member’s girlfriend. Wilkins’ January trip to Palm Desert, California, for a concert for a few dozen conservatives, involved a three-man SWAT team and concluded with a two-hour flight to LAX Airport; A trip to England with Patel to attend a secret national security conference at an exclusive resort was paid for by taxpayers, as was his travel to see her perform on multiple occasions.
She faces dozens of threats daily, some of which are remarkably obvious, said Ben Williamson, an FBI spokesman New York Times In February. Four SWAT team agents and two vehicles are now being used to provide full-time protection, on Battle’s orders.
Before her current full-time focus on her music career but after she began dating Patel, Wilkins took on a press secretary position with conservative congressman Rep. Abraham Hamadeh, a friend of the FBI director. After leaving that position a month later, she worked for three months at Women for Gun Right as director of strategic communications. This situation lasted only a few months.
“America is Back: A Celebration of the Beginning of the Great American State Fair” is scheduled for Wednesday night on the National Mall. It is sponsored by Trump’s Freedom 250 organization and will include musical performances by Lee Greenwood and Christopher Macchio; It is scheduled to include, according to its website, “military air tours, ceremonial displays, and performances by the President’s Special U.S. Marine Corps Band, the U.S. Army’s Special Pershing Band, Armed Forces choirs, and more.” Trump, who recently called for the event to be canceled, is the main event.
