Carrie Underwood is set to perform at President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, 2025, and people have opinions about it. On a recent episode of The View, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, and Alyssa Farah Griffin all weighed in. Notably, Carrie “has spent most of her career avoiding political talk,” Whoopi pointed out. Because of that, her decision to perform at Trump’s inauguration came as a surprise to some of her fans.
Though Whoopi admitted that she “won’t be watching” Carrie’s performance, she said she supports Carrie’s decision to perform on Inauguration Day.
“I stand behind her,” Whoopi asserted on The View. “Because if I believe I have the right to make up my mind to go perform some place, I believe [other people have] the same right. I have to support. It doesn’t mean I’m particularly interested. I won’t be watching, but that’s me.”
Though Joy and Sunny agreed that Carrie has the freedom to perform there, they personally would not make the same choice. Sunny acknowledged that she’s not a singer and no one invited her to perform, but said it would be a “hard no.” Sunny added, “I think art is art and you have a right to perform where you want to perform.”
Joy was more openly critical of the decision, saying that she “would not normalize [Donald Trump].” Quoting Carrie’s statement about her decision to perform at Trump’s inauguration, Joy said, “She says, ‘I love our country.’ How do you love your country and support and normalize somebody who was a convicted felon, who really wants to destroy the country, in my opinion?”
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Later, Joy added that she believes in free speech, but said she personally would not agree to perform at Trump’s inauguration.
On January 13, Carrie confirmed that she would be performing on Inauguration Day. In a statement, she said, “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. 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.”
The View co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said she could understand Carrie’s decision “from a business standpoint.”
“It’s not a bad decision for Carrie Underwood,” Alyssa stated, adding that millions of people voted for Trump. Additionally, she said that since “artists tend to skew left-leaning,” performing at Trump’s inauguration could make Carrie “an icon of MAGA and the American right.”
“I personally hope we’re moving beyond the era of politics where we want to cancel people’s livelihoods because we don’t like their politics,” Alyssa said. “If you have a problem, you register your complaint by not downloading her songs and not going to her shows.”
At the end of the discussion, Joy said she agreed that Carrie has the right to perform at Trump’s inauguration, saying, “I would agree with everybody: It is a free country at the moment.”
In response, Whoopi said, “It’s up to us to make sure that doesn’t start to change.”
