Rapper Nelly is among the stars set to perform at Donald Trump’s Inaugural Liberty Ball in the U.S. Capitol on January 20.
According to sources close to the event planning, the 50-year-old rapper, born Cornell Haynes Jr, will join the Village People and country star Jason Aldean as the entertainment for the night, CBS reported.
Nelly spoke negatively of Trump in the past. He confessed he didn’t care for Trump in 2017. “You know the thing about Donald Trump is that I liked Donald Trump, I did, I just don’t like Donald Trump as my president,” he told Page Six in 2017. “He doesn’t surprise me as a person, he surprises me as a president because you don’t expect certain things, certain attitudes.”
Carrie Underwood and Christopher Macchio will perform during Trump’s swearing-in ceremony, which begins at noon ET on Jan. 20.
HBCU Mississippi Valley State’s marching band will perform during the parade. The band faced scorn and ridicule for accepting Trump’s invitation.
But university officials dismissed the criticism.
“This is not just a moment of pride for our university but for the entire state of Mississippi,” university president Jerryl Briggs said. “It is an opportunity to showcase our legacy, celebrate our culture, and invest in the future leaders of our community. This participation allows students to engage in the peaceful transition of power and gain global exposure while celebrating the university’s 75th anniversary.”
The swearing-in ceremony is traditionally held outdoors, but Trump moved it indoors partly due to ongoing threats against his life.
Trump survived an assassination when he was shot and wounded by a crazed man with a high-powered rifle during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024.
Another assassination attempt was made by a sniper with a scoped AK-47 rifle as Trump played golf at his West Palm Beach, Fla. club on Sept. 15, 2024.
Trump said the swearing-in ceremony was moved indoors due to the cold weather. Temperatures are expected to be 20-degrees with a wind chill factor in the single digits on Jan. 20.
