Musicians who agreed to perform at President-elect Trump's inauguration have found themselves at the center of the backlash.
Rapper Nelly, who is scheduled to perform at the Liberty Ball on Monday, defended his decision to attend the festival.
“I'm not doing this for the money. I'm doing it because it's an honor. I respect the office,” the St. Louis native said. live conversation Fellow rapper Willie D.
Trump Inauguration Performer Lee Greenwood defends Carrie Underwood from critics
Rapper Nelly defended his decision to perform at President Donald Trump's inaugural ball on Monday. (Erica Goldring/Getty Images/Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“It doesn’t matter who is in power, just as our men and women, our brothers and sisters defending this country, have to go to war. Must be.” [is] I’m in service,” the rapper, who was born on a military base, continued.
“So, if you can risk your life for someone.” [is] If you're in the office, you can definitely perform for anyone. [is] I'm in the office. ”
Nelly believes his decision to appear was not political. (Mikka Scafari/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
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A source close to Nelly told Fox News Digital that in addition to his father, Nelly's aunt and uncle also “served in the military for democracy and the right to vote for all of us. He has personally distanced himself from politics. “I had no intention of doing so,” he said. You can campaign for anyone, but this performance is for the highest office,” the 50-year-old said, adding that he considers the performance an “honor.” I reconfirmed it.
During a conversation with Willie D, the “Hot in Here” singer balked at suggestions that President Trump is a white supremacist and addressed his critics directly. “I want them to see him as a white supremacist,” Nellie retorted.
A source close to the rapper told Fox News Digital that he plans to perform at the Liberty Ball. (Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images)
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“For me, politics is over. He won! He's the president,” the rapper said at the beginning of the conversation. “He is the commander-in-chief of what I would describe as the best country in the world.”
“It's an honor to perform in front of the President of the United States, regardless of who is in office. If President Biden had asked me to perform, I would have performed. If Vice President Kamala Harris won, “And if I had been asked to appear, I would have appeared,” he said.
Donald Trump invited several A-list musicians to perform at his inauguration. (Evan Vucci/Associated Press)
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Nelly isn't the only musician who performed at an inauguration event and received backlash. Country artist Carrie Underwood, who will perform “America the Beautiful” at the inauguration, released a statement before making any remarks, saying she chose to perform out of love for her country.
“I love this country and was honored to be asked to sing at the inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event,” Underwood said in a statement. “I am humbled to answer this call at a time when we all need to come together in a spirit of unity and look to the future.”
Other artists expected to perform for Trump include Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus and Lee Greenwood, who defended Underwood from his opponents in an interview with Fox News Digital. . “To those who want to say something negative, I say keep it in mind. Don't attack my friends who are here for the same reasons I am. 47th President of the United States “To do that,” he said.
