Carrie Underwood to perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration, calls for ‘unity’

Country singer Carrie Underwood has been tapped to perform at President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next week.

Underwood will perform “America the Beautiful” alongside the Armed Forces Chorus and United States Naval Academy Glee Club, according to a copy of the inaugural program obtained by Entertainment Weekly.

“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,” said Underwood in a statement to EW. “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.”

Underwood’s performance will come after Vice President-elect JD Vance takes his oath of office and precede Trump’s own oath of office. Opera singer Christopher Macchio is also scheduled to perform.

Trump is set to take the oath of office on Jan. 20 at the U.S. Capitol, the site of the deadly attack that occurred four years ago in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results that saw Joe Biden emerge victorious.

The backlash against Underwood, who rose to prominence in 2005 as the winner of American Idol, has been swift on social media, with users inundating her comments section with disappointment: “Will you be performing ‘Before He Cheats’?” “Big yikes. It’s a no from me.”

The singer has long been private about her political views. “I feel like more people try to pin me places politically,” Underwood told The Guardian in 2019. “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.”

Performers at Trump’s first inauguration in 2017 included Toby Keith, 3 Doors Down, and Lee Greenwood.