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Carrie Underwood performed at Donald Trump‘s presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C., on Monday, January 20 — but it didn’t go down without a snag.
Underwood, 41, who was joined by the United States Naval Academy Glee Club and the Armed Forces Chorus, wound up singing an a cappella version of “America the Beautiful” during the inauguration. The decision to sing the song without a backing track was made after a delay with the music. “If you know the words, help me out here,” Underwood asked the crowd before starting her rendition of the patriotic song. The songstress delivered a powerful performance, with many in the audience — including Trump, Joe Biden, and more — chiming in.
The country singer spoke to E! News about being selected to perform during the event in an interview published on Monday, January 13. “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,” she told the outlet, adding, “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.”
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The news that Underwood agreed to perform at the inauguration garnered backlash from her fans. One fan on X (formerly known as Twitter) wrote, “Wow her career really must have hit rock bottom if this is what she has to resort to,” while a second declared, “Shame on you Carrie (unless you sing ‘Before He Cheats’ at the inauguration).”
Others, however, were excited about her decision to sing at the event. “Carrie Underwood is an amazing singer, devout Christian, has been married to her husband who is also a devout Christian, has never had a scandal and raises her kids with her husband,” the user posted. “People on the left are canceling her for performing ‘America the Beautiful’ at Trump’s inauguration. For simply singing a beautiful song at a presidential inauguration.”
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The eight-time Grammy Award winner has previously been open about her choice to generally stay away from politics. In a 2019 interview with The Guardian, she admitted, “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.”
Underwood, the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, is set to return as a judge for season 23 of the competition show alongside fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, and their host, Ryan Seacrest.
