Country singer Carrie Underwood gave an impromptu a cappella performance of “America the Beautiful” at Donald Trump‘s second inauguration ceremony on Monday when technical difficulties prevented her pre-recorded backing music from playing.
After Trump took the oath of office and gave his inaugural address, Underwood entered the U.S. Capitol Rotunda for her performance. But only a snippet of the song’s introductory notes played before abruptly cutting off, leaving the American Idol alum standing in front of the whispering crowd.
After more than a minute of silence, the singer mouthed to a man in a headset, “I’ll just sing it.” She then lifted her microphone to address the audience, saying, “If you know the words, help me out here.”
Underwood, clad in a light gray sheath dress, launched into the patriotic classic and was soon joined by the harmonies of the Armed Forces Chorus, as well as members of the crowd, which included former President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, outgoing Vice President (and Trump’s opponent in the 2024 election) Kamala Harris, and tech giants including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and X owner Elon Musk.
At the song’s conclusion, Underwood applauded the crowd, then shook outgoing President Joe Biden’s hand before crossing the aisle to greet the newly sworn-in Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.
The ceremony installing Trump as the 47th president of the United States was moved inside because of the frigid temperatures in Washington D.C.
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Underwood’s decision to perform at the inauguration drew criticism, but the singer told EW in a statement, “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.”
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