Marissa R. Moss
View all posts by Marissa R. Moss June 24, 2026
Alexis Wilkins, with FBI Director Kash Patel, will perform at the Freedom 250 concert in Washington, D.C. Sacha Lecca for Rolling Stone Country artist Martina McBride drops out of your supposedly apolitical “Great American State Fair”? No problem: The FBI Director has one on speed dial. Kash Patel’s girlfriend Alexis Wilkins has signed on to be a “featured performer” at Trump’s Freedom 250 celebration, which is slated to begin June 25, after McBride, Morris Day and the Time, Young MG, Bret Michaels, and more all bailed when they reportedly discovered the event wasn’t the nonpartisan celebration they were promised. Wilkins will join the remaining lineup of Lee Greenwood, tenor Christopher Macchio and … Trump himself? It’s somewhat unclear exactly what’s in store, though there will be lots of trucks.
Wilkins announced her performance Tuesday on X, writing that it was a “great honor” for her to appear, and was quickly criticized for potential ethical violations. She responded by claiming that she has “been a country music artist for years now. I have had a successful career in both music and commentary/strategy,” and that she is not accepting a payment “for this great honor.” Wilkins, who also has a career as a conservative commentator, added, “I’m no longer accepting false narratives and total sham accusations that diminish my hard work and earned accomplishments, so please expect this kind of response to continue.”
So, in the spirit of Wilkins’ clear desire for accurate storytelling, how true is any of that? Yes, Wilkins has been a country music artist for some years now, with releases dating back to 2015 on her Instagram that featured, spoiler alert, American flag cover art. What constitutes a “successful career” is debatable. Raised in Arkansas, she graduated from Belmont University in Nashville in 2020 and was signed to WME as well as management company the AMG, according to American Songwriter. A video from around that time on local news show Today in Nashville features her and two band members (one playing a cajón) performing at Plaza Mariachi, a beloved gathering space for the local immigrant community that went on to suffer a financial hit during Trump’s 2025 ICE Raids.
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Her official debut single, “Stand,” was released in 2022, but there are other songs available that don’t quite possess the same “patriotic” bent she underwent when she met her biggest champion: Patel.
“I recently met Alexis at an event in Nashville and immediately gravitated to her articulate patriotism and talent,” Patel said in a press release serviced to music media in 2022. “It is voices like hers that resonate beyond the airwaves. A voice with a heart and soul, with a message for all Americans. Please join us in welcoming Alexis Wilkins into our family and download ‘Stand.’”
