As reported over the last few weeks, Donald Trump’s transition team has had difficulty in finding A-list celebrities to perform at his upcoming inauguration ceremony. The only confirmed acts thus far are former America’s Got Talent contestant Jackie Evancho, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and the Radio City Rockettes, whose members have reportedly considered abandoning the performance altogether.
Trump, predictably, has already lost his mind on Twitter about how “so-called A list” celebrities crave tickets to the inauguration that he will not provide, because he’s a man of the people. The denial campaign continued as Boris Epshteyn, the inaugural committee communications director, told CNN that they aren’t having any trouble finding famous people to perform at the ceremony.
“You know, this is not Woodstock,” Epshteyn said. “It’s not Summer Jam. It’s not a concert. It’s not about celebrities. As Donald Trump tweeted himself, it’s about the people. That’s what we’re concentrated on.”
He continued: “The Rockettes represent the American people. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir represents the American people. And that’s what we’re concentrating on.”
The Rockettes live in New York City, hometown of hedonism and Hamilton. The Mormons—well, fair enough, though it’s worth mentioning that even bands of “the American people” don’t want to play the inauguration.
For reference: At President Obama’s 2012 inauguration, James Taylor, Kelly Clarkson, and Beyoncé performed at the ceremony. Artists like Lady Gaga, John Legend, and Alicia Keys were seen performing at the various inaugural balls and related events that took place around the city. (There are rumors floating around that some of those celebrities are gearing up to do an anti-Trump concert on the 20th, but they haven’t escalated beyond extreme heresy. Still, it’s a fun idea.)
Trump, by contrast, will be lucky to pull anyone outside the aging cock rock contingent. The washed Beach Boys, who are now essentially just Mike Love and some guys, are still mulling the offer to play. (He definitely must have asked Kanye to perform when they hung out at Trump Tower, but let’s just wait to see how that plays out.) But this is the great contradiction of Trump’s political career—his image is founded on gilded, upper class celebrity, and yet he’s universally despised by the people who should be his peers.
A more self-aware person might step back and think about why so many seemingly successful people think he’s a hate-filled Doritos bag, but Trump would prefer to tweet through it all. As such, we’re about two weeks away from getting Kid Rock’s “Star Spangled Banner” to usher in our new hellish reality. Sad! [Politico]
