The intense lead up to President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20 has been nothing short of a circus. I mean, it's basically a constant revolving door of celebrities and performers signing on and backing out of the festivities for fear of backlash from fans, record companies, and colleagues for participating in the controversial event. However, throughout the chaos of it all, Jackie Evancho continues to stay in the fold. Though onlookers may be raising many eyebrows at the young singer, one question could arise: did Evancho perform at Barack Obama's inauguration in the past?
The America's Got Talent alum has been clear about not approaching her upcoming performance as a political statement, which is perhaps for the best given the controversy that surrounds the President-elect. On top of that, Jackie's transgender sister, Juliet Evancho, recently revealed her decision to undergo gender reassignment surgery, and, as we all know, Trump's highly insensitive and conservative views certainly do not mesh with the topic of LGBTQ+ rights.
Although she's just a teenager, this isn'tby any means Jackie Evancho's first rodeo on the political spectrum. She once performed for President Obama at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in 2010, and again in 2012 at the National Prayer Breakfast, so she's basically somewhat of a veteran in this game.
In light of the ongoing drama, the 16-year-old classical-crossover singer and her family, including Juliet, have defended her decision to sing the National Anthem at the upcoming inauguration ceremony. Jackie recently told CBS Sunday Morning,
I hope to just kind of make everyone forget about rivals and politics for a second and just think about America and the pretty song that I’m singing.
Juliet, who will not be attending for medical reasons related to her upcoming surgery, had her own take on the performance, saying,
The way I look at it is Jackie is singing for our country, and it’s an honor for her to be singing in front of so many people. So I feel that’s really where I look at it. And that’s where I’m going to leave it right now.
Jackie was the first performer to be announced for the notoriously hard to book ceremony late last year, and her bipartisan blueprint has seemingly proved beneficial for her rising stardom thus far. Regardless of politics, there can be no doubt that she is going to put on quite the show at the Inauguration.
