Country music legend Carrie Underwood is honored to “answer the call” from the Trump inaugural team to perform at the swearing-in of the 47th president. In a recent message to her fans, she explained that her participation should remind Americans of a vital belief that should be shared once again.
While Underwood has generally kept her political views private throughout her career, she shared this week that she hopes her performance at President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural ceremony will help unite Americans in the spirit of a peaceful transition of power during these challenging times. “We need to come together,” she said when asked why she accepted the invitation.
Underwood, 41, will perform “America the Beautiful” at the inaugural ceremony in Washington, D.C., on January 20, in front of a crowd of Trump supporters expected to number in the hundreds of thousands. The announcement of her involvement sparked immediate criticism from some far-left media outlets, who quickly labeled her as “full MAGA.” However, Underwood’s decision to perform is not motivated by political alignment but by a desire to be part of this significant moment.
Long before next week’s performance, Underwood faced criticism from conservatives for including anti-Second Amendment lyrics in her albums, such as the 2018 track “The Bullet,” which some fans interpreted as a political commentary on gun violence in America. However, such issues should perhaps be set aside, at least for one day, to celebrate the peaceful transfer of power from President Biden to President-elect Trump.
Her statement continued, “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 looking to the future.” Her three-minute, forty-six-second performance will be backed by the Armed Forces Chorus and the United States Naval Academy Glee Club, People Magazine reported.
Observers of Underwood’s career began to notice a subtle shift during the pandemic, particularly when she faced criticism for liking a tweet from conservative influencer Matt Walsh about mask mandates for students in Nashville schools. “I feel like more people try to pin me places politically,” Underwood, who is a mother of two, told the Guardian in 2019. “Everybody tries to sum everything up and put a bow on it, like it’s black and white. And it’s not like that.” She added that she tries to “stay far out of politics if possible, at least in public, because nobody wins.”
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