Country singer Carrie Underwood has been invited to perform at the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump next week, where she will sing “America the Beautiful” alongside the Armed Forces Chorus and the United States Naval Academy Glee Club, according to an inaugural program obtained by Entertainment Weekly.
In a statement to EW, Underwood expressed her pride in participating: “I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event. I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and look to the future.”
Underwood’s performance is scheduled to take place following Vice President-elect JD Vance’s swearing-in and just before Trump takes his own oath of office. Opera singer Christopher Macchio is also slated to perform.
The inauguration will occur on January 20 at the U.S. Capitol, the same site where the violent attack took place four years ago, as a part of efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which saw Joe Biden become president.
Since the announcement, Underwood has faced backlash on social media, with some users expressing their disappointment in the comment sections: “Will you be performing ‘Before He Cheats’?” and “Big yikes. It’s a no from me.”
Underwood, who rose to fame as the winner of “American Idol” in 2005, has typically kept her political views private. In a 2019 interview with The Guardian, she stated, “I feel like more people try to pin me places politically. I try to stay far out of politics if possible, at least in public, because nobody wins. It’s crazy. Everybody tries to sum everything up and put a bow on it, like it’s black and white. And it’s not like that.”
For Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, performers included Toby Keith, 3 Doors Down, and Lee Greenwood.
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