Carrie Underwood sang and performed “America the Beautiful” during Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday A cappella After a technical glitch in the piped music could not be resolved.
The eight-time Grammy Award winner, the first of the music artists to be announced before the inauguration weekend, was introduced after Trump's swearing-in as the 47th president of the United States and his speech.
There was a roughly two-minute pause after Underwood's introduction, as the singers stood on stage to the left of the podium across from Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance waiting for her music to begin. Eventually, after a whisper in her ear from an usher, Underwood told the crowd in the U.S. Capitol auditorium: “You know the words, help me here,” and she began.
Watch her performance above.
On Friday, the swearing-in ceremony was moved from its traditional location on the Capitol steps indoors amid expectations of an Arctic blast. Temperatures were in the low 20s outside today, while under Trump it was a steady 72 degrees in the rotunda.
Underwood led the names of those selected to perform activities over the weekend around the inauguration. Tenor Christopher Macchio sang the national anthem during Monday's swearing-in ceremony, which also featured performances by the Armed Forces Choir and the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club.
Lee Greenwood participated in Trump's “Make America Great Again” rally on Sunday, joined by Kid Rock, The Village People, Billy Ray Cyrus and the Liberty University Praise Choir. This evening, the Village People, Jason Aldean and a “surprise musical guest” will perform at the Liberty Ball, one of three official opening night concerts. Rascal Flatts and Parker McCollum are scheduled to perform at the Commander-in-Chief's Ball, while Gavin DeGraw will perform at the Starlight Ball.
