Carrie Underwood, Village People And More

Carrie Underwood, Village People And More


Topline

Carrie Underwood will perform at President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration Monday, and Village People—the band behind one of Trump’s favorite hits “Y.M.C.A.”—said they will perform at multiple pre-inauguration events, a shift from his 2017 inauguration, which struggled to attract high-profile performers.

Key Facts

Country music singer Carrie Underwood will perform “America the Beautiful” at Trump’s inauguration at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, shortly before the President-elect takes the oath of office.

Country singer Lee Greenwood—whose song “God Bless The U.S.A.” is another Trump rally staple—will perform during the swearing-in ceremony, according to the Associated Press.

Opera singer Christopher Macchio, who has performed at several Republican events, including Trump’s controversial 2024 Madison Square Garden rally, will sing the National Anthem at the inauguration, the singer’s management confirmed to multiple news outlets.

Village People—the group behind “Y.M.C.A.,” which became a staple at Trump rallies during which the President-elect would perform what became known as the “Trump dance”—is set to perform at the Liberty Ball later Monday, after performing at Trump’s pre-inauguration rally Sunday.

Axios reported some other country music acts are scheduled to perform, including Jason Aldean and Rascal Flatts at Trump’s inaugural ball on Monday—after Kid Rock and Billy Ray Cyrus performed at Sunday’s “victory rally.”

Country singer Gavin DeGraw will also perform at the Starlight Ball on Monday, multiple news outlets reported, which Trump is expected to attend.

Rapper Nelly will reportedly perform at Monday’s Liberty Inaugural Ball, at which Trump is expected to deliver remarks, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with the event.

The Commander-in-Chief Ball, also taking place Monday with remarks from Trump, will feature a performance from country singer Parker McCollum.

Rapper Snoop Dogg appeared at the “Inaugural Crypto Ball,” the Wall Street Journal reported, on Friday at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C.

Why Did These Artists Accept Invitations To Perform?

Both Underwood and Village People stressed the need for unity in statements about their upcoming performances. Underwood said she was “humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.” In a Facebook post, Village People admitted the performances won’t please all their fans, but the group believes “music is to be performed without regard to politics.” The group acknowledged their “preferred candidate lost”—founding member Victor Willis previously said he supported Vice President Kamala Harris—but said they hope their song “Y.M.C.A.” can “bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign.”

What Is Trump’s History With “y.m.c.a.”?

Trump has used Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” at rallies throughout his 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns, prompting a mixed response from the group. Willis appeared to have changed his stance over the years, first demanding Trump stop using the song in June 2020 after the then-president pledged to use military force to break up protests following the police killing of George Floyd. Three months later, a spokesperson for the group said Willis would not “sue him simply out of spite” because he is not a “Trump hater.” In May 2023, Village People’s manager and Willis’ wife, Karen Willis, sent a cease-and-desist condemning a Mar-a-Lago performance of “Y.M.C.A.” by performers dressed as the Village People, claiming it erroneously implied the band had endorsed Trump. In October 2024, Willis said he had previously opposed Trump’s use of the song but changed his mind because the renewed attention “greatly benefited” the song on the charts. During his rallies, Trump would often perform the “Trump dance” during “Y.M.C.A.,” a simple motion of pumping both fists back and forth to the music. The dance was widely mimicked by professional athletes to celebrate victories, including by San Francisco 49ers player Nick Bosa, a vocal Trump supporter, and U.S. men’s soccer team captain Christian Pulisic, who claimed it is “not a political dance.”

Key Background

Trump’s upcoming inauguration is shaping up to be more star-studded than his first inauguration, which struggled to attract high-profile performers. Then-16-year-old Jackie Evancho, “America’s Got Talent” runner-up in 2010, sang the National Anthem at Trump’s 2017 inauguration. Evancho later said her team pushed her to perform despite her having a “bad gut feeling,” and she criticized Trump’s transgender rights policies and asked him on social media to meet with her and her transgender sister, Juliet Evancho. Rock band 3 Doors Down and singer Toby Keith also performed at pre-inauguration events in 2017. Past inauguration performers have included Lady Gaga, Garth Brooks and Jennifer Lopez at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, and Beyoncé and Kelly Clarkson at former President Barack Obama’s 2013 inauguration.

Further Reading

Village People Founder Would ‘Seriously Consider’ Performing ‘Y.M.C.A.’ For Trump—After Demanding He Stop Playing It (Forbes)

These Athletes—From The NFL, UFC And U.S. Soccer Embrace ‘Trump Dance’ (Forbes)



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At least 80 people killed in northeast Colombia as peace talks fail, official says : NPR

At least 80 people killed in northeast Colombia as peace talks fail, official says : NPR


People displaced by violence in towns across the Catatumbo region, where rebels of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, have been clashing with former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, arrive for shelter at a soccer stadium in Cúcuta, Colombia, on Sunday.

People displaced by violence in towns across the Catatumbo region, where rebels of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, have been clashing with former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, arrive for shelter at a soccer stadium in Cúcuta, Colombia, on Sunday.

Fernando Vergara/AP


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Fernando Vergara/AP

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — More than 80 people were killed in the country’s northeast over the weekend following the government’s failed attempts to hold peace talks with the National Liberation Army, a Colombian official said.

People take part in a rally in support of Colombian President Gustavo Petro in Medellín, Colombia, on Feb. 8.

Twenty others were injured in the violence that has forced thousands to flee as Colombia’s army scrambled to evacuate people on Sunday, according to William Villamizar, governor of North Santander, where many of the killings took place.

Among the victims are community leader Carmelo Guerrero and seven people who sought to sign a peace deal, according to a report that a government ombudsman agency released late Saturday.

Officials said the attacks happened in several towns located in the Catatumbo region near the border with Venezuela, with at least three people who were part of the peace talks being kidnapped.

Thousands of people are fleeing the area, with some hiding in the nearby lush mountains or seeking help at government shelters.

“We were caught in the crossfire,” said Juan Gutiérrez, who fled with his family to a temporary shelter in Tibú after they were forced to leave behind their animals and belongings. “We had no time to grab our things. … I hope the government remembers us. … We are helpless here.”

Colombia’s army rescued dozens of people on Sunday, including a family and their pet dog, whose owner held a pack of cold water against the animal’s chest to keep it cool as they evacuated by helicopter.

Defense Minister Iván Velásquez traveled to the northeast town of Cúcuta on Sunday where he held several security meetings and urged armed groups to demobilize.

“The priority is to save lives and guarantee the security of communities,” he said. “We have deployed our troops throughout the entire region.”

Officials also prepared to send 10 tons of food and hygiene kits for approximately 5,000 people in the communities of Ocaña and Tibú, the majority of them having fled the violence.

“Catatumbo needs help,” Villamizar said in a public address on Saturday. “Boys, girls, young people, teenagers, entire families are showing up with nothing, riding trucks, dump trucks, motorcycles, whatever they can, on foot, to avoid being victims of this confrontation.”

The attack comes after Colombia suspended peace talks with the National Liberation Army, or ELN, on Friday, the second time it has done so in less than a year.

Colombia’s government has demanded that the ELN cease all attacks and allow authorities to enter the region and provide humanitarian aid.

“Displacement is killing us here in the region,” said José Trinidad, a municipal official for the town of Convención, located in the North Santander region. “We’re afraid the crisis will worsen.”

Trinidad called on insurgent groups to sit down and hammer out a new agreement so “us civilians don’t have to suffer the consequences that we’re suffering right now.”

The ELN has been clashing in Catatumbo with former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, a guerrilla group that disbanded after signing a peace deal in 2016 with Colombia’s government. The two are fighting over control of a strategic border region that has coca leaf plantations.

Colombia's FARC Rebels Laid Down Their Weapons, But A Growing Number Are Being Killed

In a statement Saturday, the ELN said it had warned former FARC members that if they “continued attacking the population … there was no other way out than armed confrontation.” The ELN has accused ex-FARC rebels of several killings in the area, including the Jan. 15 slaying of a couple and their 9-month-old baby.

Army commander Gen. Luis Emilio Cardozo Santamaría said Saturday that authorities were reinforcing a humanitarian corridor between Tibú and Cúcuta for the safe passage of those forced to flee their homes. He said special urban troops also were deployed to municipal capitals “where there are risks and a lot of fear.”

The ELN has tried to negotiate a peace deal with the administration of President Gustavo Petro five times, with talks failing after bouts of violence. ELN demands include that it be recognized as a political rebel organization, which critics have said is risky.



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Catatumbo, Colombia: At least 80 people killed in country’s northeast as peace talks fail

Catatumbo, Colombia: At least 80 people killed in country’s northeast as peace talks fail



BOGOTÁ, Colombia
AP
 — 

More than 80 people were killed in the country’s northeast over the weekend following the government’s failed attempts to hold peace talks with the National Liberation Army, a Colombian official said.

Twenty others were injured in the violence that has forced thousands to flee as Colombia’s army scrambled to evacuate people on Sunday, according to William Villamizar, governor of North Santander, where many of the killings took place.

Among the victims are community leader Carmelo Guerrero and seven people who sought to sign a peace deal, according to a report that a government ombudsman agency released late Saturday.

Officials said the attacks happened in several towns located in the Catatumbo region near the border with Venezuela, with at least three people who were part of the peace talks being kidnapped.

Thousands of people are fleeing the area, with some hiding in the nearby lush mountains or seeking help at government shelters.

Displaced people from recent clashes between armed groups arrive in the municipality of Tibu, Norte de Santander Department, Colombia, on Saturday.

“We were caught in the crossfire,” said Juan Gutiérrez, who fled with his family to a temporary shelter in Tibú after they were forced to leave behind their animals and belongings. “We had no time to grab our things. … I hope the government remembers us. … We are helpless here.”

Colombia’s army rescued dozens of people on Sunday, including a family and their pet dog, whose owner held a pack of cold water against the animal’s chest to keep it cool as they evacuated by helicopter.

Defense Minister Iván Velásquez traveled to the northeast town of Cúcuta on Sunday where he held several security meetings and urged armed groups to demobilize.

“The priority is to save lives and guarantee the security of communities,” he said. “We have deployed our troops throughout the entire region.”

Officials also prepared to send 10 tons of food and hygiene kits for approximately 5,000 people in the communities of Ocaña and Tibú, the majority of them having fled the violence.

An aerial view of the Tarra River, which divides Colombia and Venezuela, as seen from Tibu, Norte de Santader Deparment, Colombia, on Sunday.

“Catatumbo needs help,” Villamizar said in a public address on Saturday. “Boys, girls, young people, teenagers, entire families are showing up with nothing, riding trucks, dump trucks, motorcycles, whatever they can, on foot, to avoid being victims of this confrontation.”

The attack comes after Colombia suspended peace talks with the National Liberation Army, or ELN, on Friday, the second time it has done so in less than a year.

Colombia’s government has demanded that the ELN cease all attacks and allow authorities to enter the region and provide humanitarian aid.

“Displacement is killing us here in the region,” said José Trinidad, a municipal official for the town of Convención, located in the North Santander region. “We’re afraid the crisis will worsen.”

Trinidad called on insurgent groups to sit down and hammer out a new agreement so “us civilians don’t have to suffer the consequences that we’re suffering right now.”

The ELN has been clashing in Catatumbo with former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, a guerrilla group that disbanded after signing a peace deal in 2016 with Colombia’s government. The two are fighting over control of a strategic border region that has coca leaf plantations.

A soldier stands guard as people unload humanitarian aid for displaced people from recent clashes between armed groups in Tibu, Norte de Santader Deparment, Colombia, on Sunday.

In a statement Saturday, the ELN said it had warned former FARC members that if they “continued attacking the population … there was no other way out than armed confrontation.” The ELN has accused ex-FARC rebels of several killings in the area, including the Jan. 15 slaying of a couple and their 9-month-old baby.

Army commander Gen. Luis Emilio Cardozo Santamaría said Saturday that authorities were reinforcing a humanitarian corridor between Tibú and Cúcuta for the safe passage of those forced to flee their homes. He said special urban troops also were deployed to municipal capitals “where there are risks and a lot of fear.”

The ELN has tried to negotiate a peace deal with the administration of President Gustavo Petro five times, with talks failing after bouts of violence. ELN demands include that it be recognized as a political rebel organization, which critics have said is risky.



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