Carrie Underwood has accepted a fairly high-profile gig, agreeing to carry out America the Lovely at Donald Trump’s inauguration subsequent week.
However the 41-year-old’s look on the occasion has many shocked and confused, because the American Idol alum has by no means endorsed Trump prior to now — in actual fact, she’s by no means actually been one to speak politics in any respect.
“I really feel like extra folks attempt to pin me locations politically,” she advised The Guardian in 2019. “I attempt to keep far out of politics if attainable, no less than in public, as a result of no person wins. It’s loopy. All people tries to sum the whole lot up and put a bow on it, prefer it’s black and white. And it’s not like that.”
In keeping with a replica of the inaugural program offered to The Related Press, Underwood will take the stage shortly earlier than Trump takes the oath of workplace on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20.
“I really like our nation and am honoured to have been requested to sing on the Inauguration and to be a small a part of this historic occasion,” Underwood mentioned in an announcement on Monday. “I’m humbled to reply the decision at a time once we should all come collectively within the spirit of unity and seeking to the longer term.”
Underwood can be joined on the leisure program by two of the president-elect’s different favorite musicians, opera singer Christopher Macchio and nation singer Lee Greenwood.
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Greenwood will carry out as Trump walks out to take the oath, in accordance with Trump’s inaugural committee. Macchio is Trump’s option to carry out the nationwide anthem on the finish of this system.
Macchio carried out on the Republican Nationwide Conference in July 2024. He additionally performed at Trump’s return rally in Butler, Penn., in October after his first rally there was marred by an assassination try, and through Trump’s Madison Sq. Backyard rally that drew blowback for crude and racist jokes from some audio system.
Nailing down performers for this 12 months’s inauguration seems to be smoother crusing than the primary time Trump was sworn into workplace – in 2017 it was extensively reported that various entertainers, together with Moby, Kiss, Idina Menzel, Paul Anka and Charlotte Church, all turned down an invite to carry out.
America’s Received Expertise runner-up Jackie Evancho, Toby Keith and band 3 Doorways Down ended up performing on the 2017 ceremony. (Evancho can be on the listing of performers at Trump’s upcoming inauguration.)
On Monday, a lot of Underwood’s followers expressed disappointment that the nation singer would use her abilities on the inauguration.
“Carrie Underwood is (performing) at Trump’s inauguration so I’m blocking her on all apps and boycotting all her music,” one fan wrote on X.
One other shared they have been “disillusioned however not shocked” by the information.
And whereas Underwood hasn’t but shared the information on her personal social media channels, folks flooded the feedback on her most up-to-date Instagram publish.
“Will you be performing ‘Earlier than he Cheats‘?” requested one fan, utilizing Underwood’s chart-topping tune to take a dig at Trump’s troubled authorized historical past and rumours about his private relationships.
“Don’t ever name your self an LGBTQ ally once more, you’re supporting the person that desires to abolish LGBTQ rights, you need to be ashamed,” wrote one other.
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