After Carrie Underwood received mixed reactions for agreeing to perform at President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Lee Greenwood is coming to the country star’s defense.
“Carrie Underwood is a great artist,” the “God Bless the USA” singer told Fox News Digital on Friday. “A great singer. I’ve sang with her before. She will do a great job singing at the Capitol with ‘America the Beautiful.’”
“I’ll sing before the President takes his oath,” he added. “She will sing after. And just the moment will be magic. For those people who have something negative to say, I say keep it to yourself. Don’t attack a friend of mine who is here for the same reason as I am to inaugurate the 47th President of the United States.”
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Underwood, who has mostly stayed away from voicing her political beliefs, confirmed her participation earlier this week.
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“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,” Underwood, who will be joined by the Armed Forces Choir and the United States Naval Academy Glee Club, said in a statement. “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.”
While some criticized her, others were quick to offer their support.
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During an episode of the “Amy & T.J.” podcast last week, T.J. Holmes said, “You better believe a lot of her fans and a lot of people are split on her participation — you can go look up her response if you’d like — but she’s performing. Hey, it’s the damn … it’s an inauguration. It’s an American event, it’s a patriotic event in a lot of ways, and it’s just a beautiful event that happens every four years in this country. To participate in it, who wouldn’t say yes to that? Does it matter who the president is? Can you not participate because people have an issue with politics or the policies or the person?”
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“Yeah, I think that Carrie Underwood made the decision that was right for her, and she has a beautiful voice, and I can’t wait to hear it,” Amy Robach added.
As for Greenwood — who has performed a handful of times for Trump-related events, including the 2017 inauguration and the 2024 Republican National Convention — the singer said it is a “great privilege” to be hitting the stage again at such a historical event.
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“To be included in this, I mean, there’s thousands and thousands of people who had loved to be here in Washington, D.C., to watch this live. And there will be a bunch. But to be on stage with him, it’s just a great privilege.”
Greenwood said he’s looking forward to what the next four years will bring.
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“To my President, Donald Trump, we have confidence in you that the next four years, as I spoke to you at Mar-a-Lago, you are a peacemaker,” he told Fox News Digital. “You’re going to change the way the world thinks about America. We are all on board about MAGA and Making America Great Again. From my father’s time in the Navy, in the Merchant Marine during World War Two and my wife’s father’s tenure in the Army, we know that you respect the military, and you use it wisely. Just thank you for all that you will do for all the rest of us. The citizens of America stand with you.”
Trump’s presidential inauguration events will feature performances by Underwood the Village People and Greenwood.
