Carrie Underwood to perform at Donald Trump's 2024 inauguration

Much has been made of the tides seeming to change the second time Donald Trump got elected President of the United States. Last time, despite his apparent populist appeal, celebrities and businesses treated him as radioactive. In 2016 it was reported that pretty much nobody (except for Kid Rock) wanted to perform at his inauguration. So it may be considered a sign of the times that his 2024 inauguration has landed Carrie Underwood as a headlining act. 

Underwood, who recently returned to American Idol to replace outgoing judge Katy Perry, has not yet weighed in on the new gig. Nor has she really weighed in on politics at all, declining to endorse pretty much any candidate or stance, because “nobody wins,” as she 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.” That said, she’s probably the highest-profile entertainer beloved by both sides of the political aisle to signal even nominal support of Trump. And again, being able to pull someone so notoriously apolitical into an undeniably political arena is another example of how different things are this time around, alongside Google donating $1 million to the inaugural fund and Mark Zuckerberg halting fact-checking at Facebook. 

Underwood is slated to perform “America The Beautiful” accompanied by the Armed Forces Chorus and the United States Naval Academy Glee Club shortly before the swearing in ceremony, according to the Associated Press. Country singer Lee Greenwood is set to perform as Trump walks out to take the oath, and opera singer Christopher Macchio (who performed at the Republican National Convention and Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally) will sing the National Anthem at the end of the ceremony. In another change of pace, the outgoing president (Joe Biden) will actually attend the inauguration this year. Trump skipped Biden’s swearing-in in 2021, and instead incited his followers to insurrection.