On Carrie Underwood Performing at the Trump Inauguration

Well here we go again. And the same people who were defending Garth Brooks four years ago for showing up to President Biden’s inauguration by saying that it was non-political and about the office not the man, they are now calling Carrie Underwood a completely washed-up has-been who needs to be completely canceled.
That’s because politics is the domain of the irrational and hypocritical. And the seething, rage-filled bile that wells up in most people over the most inane and unimportant political matters makes otherwise intelligent individuals aggressively blind to the bigger picture.
So Carrie Underwood has accepted an invitation to sing “America the Beautiful” at the inauguration of President Trump. If someone had asked my opinion, I would have told her that this is publicity and exposure she doesn’t need, especially since she’s Carrie Underwood, and has made a career out of keeping her nose clean. That’s not an edict, or even a request, or even a political opinion in itself. It’s simply an objective assessment of the situation based off of the fact that Carrie Underwood will lose fans over this performance, fair or otherwise.
That doesn’t mean Carrie Underwood shouldn’t do it. If she wants to, and if she feels like it’s an honor or even an obligation as an American to participate in the inauguration when asked, then all power to her. Because yes, ideally this would be about the institution of the presidency as opposed to who specifically is assuming the office. But unfortunately, we are many years removed from that reality. Underwood may fully understand this and knows she will lose fans, and just doesn’t care. Or may think “good riddance.”
Carrie Underwood has always tried to be like a Dolly Parton character—judicious, careful, and friendly to every cohort and demographic. She’s a vegetarian. She’s mostly kept any political opinions to herself. But let’s face it. She’s no Dolly Parton. Nobody is. That’s why Dolly is Dolly.
But at the same time, politically-incited online activists have come for Carrie Underwood on multiple occasions over frivolous and spurious things, including blaming her for a COVID outbreak in Colorado (Spoiler Alert: We all ended up getting COVID), and attacking her literally for simply liking a Tweet of someone advocating against mask mandates for elementary school children. I know, the horror.
I wouldn’t be surprised if just like millions of Americans who voted in the last election, the incessant hectoring, public shaming, and scarlet lettering of anyone who dares keep a heterodox opinion actually pushed Carrie Underwood into the arms of the political right, if she in fact aligns in that manner. That’s what Saving Country Music has been warning activists against for years. All of these efforts to shame Americans into submission as opposed to persuasively explaining your position couldn’t have been more counter-productive to left-leaning causes.
Country music is now a right-leaning cultural institution. Ever since the cancellation of the [Dixie] Chicks in 2003, country music had been politically neutral, and neutered. Across the board, artists were told to keep their mouths shut when it came to politics. It was bad for business. And for the most part, performers complied. And honestly, most mainstream country musicians don’t want to upset or disappoint their fans. Believe it or not, country performers tend to not be especially political people, and don’t see it as their place to share their political opinions.
Ironically though, some of the people currently calling for Carrie Underwood’s cancellation are many of the same people who cite the [Dixie] Chicks cancellation as a blemish on country history (which it is, of course), 100% blind to the scathing hypocrisy they’re illustrating.

But after Jason Aldean’s wife became a punching bag for the political left, a big line was crossed, and country artists started coming out in droves on the political right. Jason Aldean, as well as Rascal Flatts will also be performing at the inauguration. I’m sure even more country artists will as well, and others wish they could. Congratulations activist journalists and academia trying to realign country music from red to blue. The plan demonstrably backfired.
Along those same lines, John Rich has piped up in all of his infinite stupidity, posting on X/Twitter at the Carrie Underwood news,
“There are several top tier country artists who support Trump, and I wish they’d finally have the balls to come forward and be counted. Ain’t nothing outlaw about keeping your mouth shut to appease the record label. Carrie Underwood is making you look like a bunch of sissy boys.”
But John Rich is constantly forgetting that on numerous occasions, he’s been the one who has advocated for entertainers to shut up about politics. In fact, he did a whole damn song about it.
Now all of a sudden you’re a “sissy” if you don’t tell your fans you support Trump? Does John Rich truly believe that any current mainstream country artists constitute “Outlaws”? Is there the possibility some might have voted for Trump as the lesser of two evils, and don’t necessarily want to broadcast their decision publicly? Or that some didn’t vote at all, or in fact, voted for Kamala Harris?
And most importantly, there’s a reason there is a curtain on the voter booth. If people choose to share who they voted for, that’s their prerogative. It’s also their right to chose not to. It feels distinctly anti-American to demand people identify who they voted for, and they definitely don’t need to be goaded by some washed-up one hit country wonder who leveraged his name recognition into a career as a hack political pundit.
Shut up about politics, John Rich.
After all, we saw how it worked out when Rolling Stone and others demanded artists speak out publicly about politics. Eventually, they did. But they didn’t say what Rolling Stone and others were hoping. Did they?
And how about all the “Support women in country!” people immediately turning on Carrie Underwood no different than they did Miranda Lambert for writing a song with Morgan Wallen. Sorry folks, either you’re actually for supporting the few country women who’ve found success like Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, or you’re simply a political apparatchik using the issue as a proxy for your greater political aims.
Toby Keith performed at Donald Trumps first inauguration, just like he performed at functions for Barack Obama, who he endorsed for President by the way, all while he was being attacked for being a jingoistic right-winger. Because again, politics is the domain of the irrational.
– – – – – – – – –
Four years from now, whoever is elected president will be compared to Adolf Hitler. Four years from now, we’ll be told that the election is the most important in the history of the United States, and if one party wins over another, the country will utterly fail. And four years from now, whoever performs at the inauguration will be called the most vile of vermin by 50% of the country.
This is why the United States is mired in a doom cycle, because half of the country is constantly laboring to undermine the other half, and we all spend so much time fighting ourselves, we don’t recognize the elite of society are fleecing us all.
Music is supposed to be a place apart from all of this, where we can all come together and enjoy something as a collective. And believe it or not, there was an era when the Presidential inauguration ceremony was non-partisan as well. Along with Carrie Underwood, President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama have also confirmed they will be at the Trump inauguration. Maybe we should cancel them too.
Or maybe, we should all just lighten the hell up a little bit.
January 14, 2025 @ 12:10 pm
FYI folks, I’m going to have a hair trigger at shutting this comments section down if stuff gets too out-of-hand. Please keep comments on this specific topic only, not other political tangents that you happen to want to take about.
I am also traveling at the moment, so the comments section might be temporarily paused if moderation can’t happen in real time.
January 15, 2025 @ 12:54 am
This “article” is complete propaganda! It doesn’t even have citations and NOT EVEN AN AUTHOR!!! It’s either AI or a coward – either way – enjoy the kool aid! ✌🏼🤡
January 15, 2025 @ 7:37 am
The article is authored by Kyle “Trigger” Coroneos, and is attributed. If you want to learn more, click the “About” button.
January 28, 2025 @ 12:23 pm
I think this is one of the best written articles I’ve ever seen on this site, I applaud you ability to make your points without preaching or becoming downright hateful. I am a gay man who voted for Harris, but that said the mentality and rhetoric being spread by the left makes me want nothing to do with their style of thinking. I don’t know if they fail to see their own hypocrisies or what, but I wholeheartedly agree that demonizing Carrie Underwood for singing at the inauguration is not only irrational, but just plain sad. She never once endorsed the man, and I thought her rationale of hoping to bring a message of unity and positivity moving forward was amazing. It is exactly like the Dixie Chicks situation just with the sides reversed, and failure to see that is a testament to how being too woke can actually cause one to be basically blind…
Great article my friend, refreshing to see an honest and unbiased take on this situation. I’ll be a Carrie fan til the end no matter what, even though saying that out loud has already seen me threatened and “cancelled” by my own community… ironically the same one always insisting on open mindedness and compassion for all…. Well, as long as your views don’t stray even slightly from their own…
January 15, 2025 @ 7:07 am
Trig- appreciate you calling out the hypocrisy on both sides (which you often do). Always funny when people throw their own logic back into their face, as if that doesn’t thus negate their own.
January 16, 2025 @ 3:22 am
Tigger, this is my first time reading your website. I applaud your efforts—saving country music— and wish you great success. But why neglect to point out that Donald Trump was found guilty by a jury of his peers of 34 felonies (2016 campaign finance laws aka hush money) and of sexual assault. He raped a woman! I’ll never understand why physically violating a woman’s body is not an important part of anyone’s analysis of this man? These crimes are not political. They are crimes against all human beings regardless of our ancestry, our cultural upbringing, our religion, or our politics. Support of Donald Trump in any form or fashion advertises to the rest of the world that rape is acceptable to that individual. It should be a deal breaker. It’s not complicated.
January 16, 2025 @ 9:12 am
Hey Bonnie,
Thanks for reading and commenting.
I am certainly not overlooking the trespasses of Donald Trump or anyone else. Best of luck finding any incorruptible soul in politics, especially once you get to the Presidential level aside from maybe the late Jimmy Carter. The thing is that Donald Trump is responsible for his actions, not Carrie Underwood by proxy, and certainly not me in some sort of 3rd or 4th degree of separation by saying, “Hey, Carrie’s not endorsing Trump, she’s just singing ‘America The Beautiful’ during the peaceful transfer of power.”
Totally understand if people outright detest Trump. I detest rape in all forms, and have spoken up numerous times when alleged or known sexual predators creep into the country music space.
I have no desire to get into the trenches over political fights because I tend to believe all higher authority is corrupt and compromised. I just do not like seeing political acrimony infect the music space, which is somewhere where we all should be able to come together.
And by the way, ABC News had to pay Trump $15 million in a defamation lawsuit because he was actually found guilty in a civil lawsuit of sexual assault, not rape. So as a journalist, I have to be careful how I choose my words, and can’t technically say Donald Trump raped anybody.
Carrie Underwood didn’t rape anybody either, and neither did I. And neither of us is endorsing anything, despite the characterizations of some.
January 16, 2025 @ 9:55 am
ABC News paid that defamation suit because Disney wanted to be on Trump’s good side. NYT v Sullivan outlines numerous protections, and seeing as how the judge even said it could be considered a rape even though it doesn’t meet the NY statutory requirements, I doubt Trump’s lawyers could prove actual malice.
January 16, 2025 @ 10:34 pm
The judge in that case made inappropriate remarks. It is highly unethical for the judge in the case to say what he thinks the defendant may have done. The judge is just another political hack.
January 16, 2025 @ 10:57 pm
It wasn’t what he may have done. He described what the jury found him liable for.
January 19, 2025 @ 3:30 pm
Howdy. That first paragraph is utter nonsense man. I like your writing, and obviously I like the material, but this is that fox entertainment bs ‘people are saying ..’ and in this case uncredited uncited ‘people online’. The article has a solid point. But you’re better than this, and you’ve proven it again and again. Your comment section isnt- see above for the usual regurgitation of spoon fed talking points
January 19, 2025 @ 3:45 pm
I’m guessing this criticism is aimed towards me. I understand what you’re saying, and normally I do cite sources or give specific examples. It’s just that the blow back Carrie Underwood was so effusive and widespread throughout media last week, citing the sources seemed redundant, and possibly pedantic. If “The View” is talking about it, that means most everyone is. But perhaps next time I’ll include those sources anyway.
January 17, 2025 @ 4:05 pm
Again backing standing up for a rapist, thief liar traitor . Makes you pretty much a rapist liar thief traitor . So disappointed in Carrie Underwood back anti Americans. I guess money ( you don’t expect to get paid right cause that isn’t happening). I gusee she doesn’t care about women’s rights. I hope she thought about her daughters sisters female friends cause not Just Democrats that are screwed. Just the poor working class. Which I guess she is now above. Forgot where she came from so sad. People want take back their election vote. I want to take back all my Carrie votes with American Idol
January 17, 2025 @ 4:09 pm
Yes, so now Carrie Underwood is a “a rapist liar thief traitor”. What a ludicrous statement. This sort of “total war” political mentality is very unhealthy for society.
January 20, 2025 @ 10:49 am
Carrie Underwood is disgusting! How on earth can you sing the American Anthem at Trump’s inaugural event? You don’t support women at all. All you care about is grandstanding. You’re a liminal piece of shit with zero talent.
January 28, 2025 @ 12:06 pm
You don’t have to like her but it’s absurd to say she has zero talent. You’re obviously deaf if you think that is an accurate statement. She has sold millions, topped the country and pop charts many times, headlined countless tours and a Vegas residency, and let’s not forget she got famous by winning a television contest voted on by the public where she literally shined like a diamond every week. Does it make u feel bigger to call her no talent? Because it shows your very limited ability to separate reality from the fiction in your own head…
January 14, 2025 @ 12:12 pm
When I first saw the news I was pretty surprised, but after giving it some more thought I realised that I shouldn’t have been.
Also, take a look at the performance of her last album, her career was in free fall. Desperate times…
January 14, 2025 @ 7:36 pm
Maybe that’s why she doesn’t care. She’ll be doing cooking shows before long.
January 14, 2025 @ 12:18 pm
Love this article, nailed it as usual!
January 14, 2025 @ 12:22 pm
The thing with all these is trigger is wrong that politics don’t matter. Who the president is impacts the well being of millions of people. There’s real stakes to this stuff.
Anyway I will show my intolerance and hatred by committing the hypocritical sin against Carrie underwood of thinking less of her.
January 14, 2025 @ 12:45 pm
I don’t recall ever saying that “politics don’t matter.” Of course they do. I do advocate for direct action by individuals to improve their lives and communities as opposed to waiting around for the corrupt wheels of political action to turn in their direction. This is what I’ve tried to do with Saving Country Music. But of course politics “matter,” however unfortunately.
January 14, 2025 @ 12:56 pm
The specific thing I mean is stuff like “And the seething, rage-filled bile that wells up in most people over the most inane and unimportant political matters makes otherwise intelligent individuals aggressively blind to the bigger picture.”
I do not think it’s inane and unimportant who people support to be president. I think it matters quite a lot.
I am of course a regular reader of this site. I think generally you have a perspective that someone’s political beliefs are akin to sports fandom. Unimportant and unworthy of criticism. I don’t expect you to share my perspective on this. I appreciate all your good work on this site even if I don’t share your perspective on every single thing.
January 14, 2025 @ 1:36 pm
It is getting exhausting seeing someone in the public arena get judged based on their political affiliations. Or in this case, their perceived political affiliations. It could very well be that she’s there to honor the office of the President, and not who’s being inaugurated…I know that’s a wild thing to say in 2025.
There was a time not long ago where we didn’t immediately view people through the lens of politics. It was pretty nice.
In regard to political beliefs being sports fandom, it’s not a leap to believe that. I’m not saying Trigger believes that, but the whole “My team doesn’t do anything bad, your team is terrible!” back and forth is getting exhausting, too. It’s like watching a football game with someone who refuses to see the holding call on their offensive lineman despite it being blatantly obvious.
But Trigger was absolutely correct, the meltdown about Carrie Underwood singing at the inauguration is akin to passionately debating whether forks and spoons should be put in the dishwasher face up or down as if the fate of civilization hangs in the balance.
January 14, 2025 @ 2:04 pm
Agreed.
The guy leaving office kept putting cast iron pans in the dishwasher.
January 14, 2025 @ 3:12 pm
Thank you for articulating a position I thoroughly disagree with. I think the stakes to who the president is are significant and I think performing at the inauguration of any president is a significant endorsement of that president and what they do. For good or bad I think the stakes are real. It’s not sports.
January 14, 2025 @ 4:29 pm
Harris,
If you can articulate what’s at stake for the country and Carrie Underwood singing a song at the inauguration, I’d love to hear it.
January 14, 2025 @ 4:42 pm
I don’t want to get into a political debate on here. I just mean who the president is is significant to the well being of Americans in a very real tangible way. Whether the president is Trump or someone else matters in ways that are extremely serious. Endorsing the president is to endorse what that president does. Performing at their inauguration is in my opinion functionally an endorsement of them.
Like I said I don’t want to debate economic policy or whatever. Just making the point that elections and who win them do indeed matter well beyond how they make someone feel.
I have less respect for Carrie underwood now. I’m sure she’s devastated by this
January 14, 2025 @ 6:26 pm
The specific thing I mean is stuff like “And the seething, rage-filled bile that wells up in most people over the most inane and unimportant political matters makes otherwise intelligent individuals aggressively blind to the bigger picture.”
I do not think it’s inane and unimportant who people support to be president. I think it matters quite a lot.
I understand. But conservatives have performed at Democratic inaugurations, and liberals have performed at Republican inaugurations. That’s kind of the whole point is to show a level of solidarity as a country in these moments. That is why Joe Biden and Barack Obama are going to be there, not because they support Trump.
If I were to guess, I would say Carrie Underwood probably does support Trump. But she hasn’t endorsed him, and her comments about this seem to be very calculated to say she’s performing out of a sense of duty, not an endorsement of Trump.
I’ll even go a step further to say it was a shame Trump did not show up to Biden’s inauguration, and I respect Biden for not being petty and reciprocating that insult back at Trump.
If you want to concern yourself with who is President and what their policies are, knock yourself out. Concerning yourself with who performs “America The Beautiful” aside from if they’re a good singer or not (and Carrie Underwood is), is the essence of missing the big picture, and making a huge issue out of nothing.
At least, that’s my opinion.
January 15, 2025 @ 8:31 am
“I’ll even go a step further to say it was a shame Trump did not show up to Biden’s inauguration, and I respect Biden for not being petty and reciprocating that insult back at Trump.”
I was going to say something along these lines, and I’m glad you did, although I wish you would have put this in your actual article since I think it’s relevant to the conversation and the context of politicizing the inauguration.
January 15, 2025 @ 5:08 pm
Is Biden even going to know he was there?
January 14, 2025 @ 1:55 pm
I commend Carrie Underwood. After all this is a once in a life time event happening.
January 14, 2025 @ 2:26 pm
Well a once every four years event anyway.
January 15, 2025 @ 5:19 pm
Harris,
How’s your vagina feel after reading this article?
January 15, 2025 @ 5:21 pm
Jack,
This isn’t a high school locker room. Please contribute something of value to the conversation or move on. Personal attacks are of no help.
January 14, 2025 @ 12:26 pm
How’s this for a take…I despise DJT with every fiber of my being.
I also think that any hate thrown at Carrie for performing at the inauguration is absolutely stupid.There’s nothing wrong with her performing for the inauguration. I don’t care one way or the other.
January 14, 2025 @ 5:39 pm
“Every fiber of my being.” Wow, what an insignificant life you must lead.
January 16, 2025 @ 9:57 am
“This isn’t a high school locker room. Please contribute something of value to the conversation or move on. Personal attacks are of no help.”
-Trigger, when he pretends to actually care about personal attacks.
January 19, 2025 @ 9:13 am
Pretty normal to despise convicted rapists
January 19, 2025 @ 3:33 pm
Who is a convicted rapist? It cost ABC 15 Million for a comment like that. Haha.
January 19, 2025 @ 5:42 pm
Laughing about SA? Wow… the women in your life must be so proud.
January 17, 2025 @ 6:13 am
Maybe see a therapist or talk to a preacher? lol
January 14, 2025 @ 12:32 pm
I’m not at all a fan of “cancel culture”, regardless of who it is that’s being “cancelled”,r who is doing the “cancelling”, or what side of the political fence they’re on. Personally, I think Trump is an evil bastard, and I stand firmly by that; his words, his actions, and his behavior are a matter of public record. I also think, however, that Carrie’s motivation for singing at the inauguration is out of her own personal love for America, and that’s fine with me. End of story.
January 15, 2025 @ 5:22 pm
Someone has been watching MSNBC.
January 14, 2025 @ 12:36 pm
“cancellation” is an inherently political effort. there’s no contradiction or hypocrisy in wanting to put pressure on an artist (or anyone else) for engaging with the right-wing but not the left-wing, or vice versa. everyone has an interest in pushing the prevailing cultural narrative toward their own politics. carrie underwood playing at the inauguration lends her credibility to trump. lefty country fans don’t like this, so they make noise about it. i don’t see the issue.
your perception that music ought to be completely neutral on the issues of the day strikes me as a little short-sighted, and i think it’s emblematic of the sensibilities that has kept nashville so sterile over the decades. all art is political; and trying to divorce art from that is only servicing the status quo. what are your thoughts on protest music as a genre? how about woody guthrie or pete seeger?
personally, i think country music could stand to be a little more polemic.
January 14, 2025 @ 12:54 pm
I most definitely think that music plays an important roll in addressing important social topics. After all, the Saving Country Music Songwriter of the Year at the moment is Jesse Welles. What I quibble with is HOW many artists choose to broach political subjects. Believe it or not, this will not be the most politically contentious topic I will post on Saving Country Music today. That will be Jason Isbell’s new album/tour announcement, even though it has nothing to do with politics at all. But Isbell has made himself so politically polarizing (104 comments on Facebook and counting) that you simply utter his name, and a firestorm ensues. It’s is starting to become that way with Garth, and it very well might become that way with Carrie. I don’t see how this serves these artists’ interests, politically or otherwise. If you’re Jason Isbell, all of that is baked in at this point. For Carrie Underwood, her career was built behind building consensus. This will definitely harm her.
All I advocate for is for performers to use the power of song, story, and allegory to communicate perspective and wisdom to try to enact social change. Shaming the other side just makes you a political pundit feeding red meat to a constituency, with half the country ignoring you.
January 14, 2025 @ 8:19 pm
Trigger,
Interesting to see you say that the Isbell announcement is getting so many comments on Facebook. I’m not on social media personally (I do manage accounts for work), but on the website here there’s 4 times more comments on this article compared to the Isbell article. I think that says a lot about Facebook and how broken that platform is for productive conversation.
The difference between the Facebook comment numbers and the commentary here, however, also says a lot about the community you’ve built on this website. I’ve been reading the site for over a decade, ever since stumbling across it in college, and it’s so refreshing to see the continued ability for readers here to comment, disagree, and (mostly) argue in good faith. You’ve built and continue to oversee something rare and special at this point in our landscape of public discourse.
You may be advocating “for performers to use their power of song, story, and allegory to communicate perspective and wisdom to try to enact social change,” but you’re also modeling what that looks like in practice. The commenters here run the full spectrum of our political sphere, but we all keep coming back to support this shared project. American civil society could learn a lot about how to save ourselves by being more like Saving Country Music. Keep it up!
January 14, 2025 @ 9:28 pm
Thanks for reading Pat.
January 22, 2025 @ 6:57 am
Pat, your comment communicates so well what I think regularly when I read the comments. This site is exemplary. Thank you Pat for saying it so well and thank you Trigger for the kind of successful leadership that leads by example.
January 14, 2025 @ 12:36 pm
Good for her and screw the anti-American left.
January 14, 2025 @ 12:59 pm
boy wait until you see the report on trump that came out today (you won’t).
January 14, 2025 @ 2:20 pm
You’re right…we don’t
January 16, 2025 @ 10:09 am
what a way to live. ignoring what’s around you in order to live without confronting the comfortable worldview you’ve built for yourself.
January 20, 2025 @ 12:46 pm
Reading the comments in this article makes me feels like CONSERVATISM IS THE NEW COUNTER CULTURE.
January 14, 2025 @ 1:00 pm
“FYI folks, I’m going to have a hair trigger at shutting this comments section down if stuff gets too out-of-hand” – trigger
January 14, 2025 @ 2:03 pm
“I am also traveling at the moment, so the comments section might be temporarily paused if moderation can’t happen in real time.” —Also Trigger
January 14, 2025 @ 1:04 pm
And may the same be done to the anti-American right.
January 14, 2025 @ 5:38 pm
The American right isn’t anti-American. It stands for American values and principles.
January 14, 2025 @ 7:24 pm
What are American values, exactly?
January 14, 2025 @ 10:47 pm
Yes, like being happy that parts of L.A. are burning down because of DEI, lesbian fire chiefs, black female mayors, and the like.
Sir, kindly shut your fucking mouth about your ideas of what are American values and principles!
January 15, 2025 @ 5:24 pm
You are a left wing idiot.
January 15, 2025 @ 5:26 pm
Folks, if we can’t keep this comments section free of personal attacks, it’s going to be shut down.
January 16, 2025 @ 10:20 am
Very telling, Kyle, that your response is to Erik and not to CK. Shows exactly what your bias is. As is tradition.
January 16, 2025 @ 10:23 am
This is such a dumb argument, and I have addressed this over and over and over again. I try to shut down threads that are getting out of control, irrespective of who is commenting, and who I’m responding to. If you’re going to come at me for bias, I’m just going to shut the entire comments section down, because it’s not worth it. I think you would be hard pressed to assert that left leaning perspectives are being censored here, especially since I have yet to delete one comment.
January 16, 2025 @ 1:48 pm
It’s who you choose to make the response to that shows your bias, Kyle. Rather than respond to Steven who started this thread with “screw the American left” or to you chose to respond to Erik who had the audacity to challenge Steven and CountryKnight.
Don’t pretend like that was pure coincidence. Your BS is very transparent.
January 17, 2025 @ 2:11 am
He responded to me and even refused to post one of my milder responses to a left wing hypocrite. So, dumb argument. The only people in the comments crying about it are you guys.
January 15, 2025 @ 7:13 am
boy can’t wait for those american values to bring down the price of eggs! instead we have this list:
– start wars with greenland/denmark, canada and panama, maybe mexico (why not?)
– rename the gulf
– let americans suffer instead of provide funds for relief because of the state they live in (cough cough texas, cough cough florida)
– bring back polio, measles (MAHA)
– ban trans people from things
we did it guys! values saved us!
January 15, 2025 @ 3:17 pm
It must suck that your drag queen story hour dates are drying up.
January 15, 2025 @ 4:36 pm
Folks, this is what we can’t have and continue to have a constructive conversation. Please keep comments on topic as opposed to personal attacks.
January 15, 2025 @ 3:23 pm
ik, what will all the closeted conservative men do now? they can’t even log into pornhub anymore. i predict they will take their frustrations out on children in schools, as is tradition.
January 15, 2025 @ 4:43 pm
You listed real life things that are happening to every day Americans….. and the response was something about dragged time story or some shit.
I thought country music was about embracing the reality of the common man – not farcical fantasy stories. Anyone living in the far right fear bubble lost the plot of what it means to be an American a long, long time ago.
But as a left-leaning person, I read triggers story, and I commend him for partiality in making certain to call out the fringe end of the political spectrum in the country music fanbase, as well as those seeking to call both out.
Artist and fans have the right to speak their mind on topics they wish – but they don’t have the right to avoid facing recrimination for doing so. I love the everloving fuck out of Jason Isbell & his music. I also greatly appreciate the stance he takes for social platforms.
Unfortunately, that means that a great number of people in my social circle that are either towards the middle of the road in this type of discussion or are well over the line to the right- well I just have to play Jason Isbell for myself now. And as a fan of his, that’s just the way it has to be because I know his social media comments will forever prevent him from crossing over to a wider audience.
Anyway, I’ve been lurking here for quite some time and I’ve never mustered the courage to comment on anything. Trigger – thank you for your fair and even commentary. I’ve been using your site now to help evangelize up-and-coming country artists to my wife, who was perpetually stuck in the 90s. Your yourself along with others helped me to introduce Zach Top to her. And while it isn’t exactly new in revolutionary territory, it’s pretty goddamn good 90s country in 2025. Now, if I can only convince her to get over one of the real reasons why people say they don’t like Jason Isbell “his politics don’t bother me, I just can’t stand his voice.”
I’ll keep working on her though 🙂
Sorry for adding to the political discourse – but everybody here keep on keeping on
January 16, 2025 @ 10:45 pm
What a shallow read of the Greenland, Mexico, Canada, and Panama situations. No wars will be started. Greenland will likely vote on independence, Canada is being trolled, Panama is letting the Chinese run the Canal and has therefore broken the agreement they had with us but it won’t lead to war, and attacking Mexico drug cartels is not a challenge to their sovereignty. You sound crazy.
January 15, 2025 @ 8:34 am
Lol that’s a good joke.
January 16, 2025 @ 10:18 am
The right is the very essence of being anti-American.
January 16, 2025 @ 12:33 pm
Man, you’re on some strong drugs. The left is offended by the flag, by borders, by American history and orchestrated the blm summer of love and the tearing down of statues of the Founding Fathers. But I guess that is your definition of pro-American.
And don’t tell me you still believe that stupid shit about Russia winning the election for Trump in 2016 haha.
If you wanna say the Republican establishment is anti working class, I agree. But so are almost all Democrats.
And I’m no fan of Trump. Too much ego and too forgiving. The left has no need to fear the next four years, unfortunately.
January 16, 2025 @ 1:50 pm
You just continue to prove yourself to be dumber and dumber with every post. I’m not even going to bother to address the content because you have no interest in facts, only what Fox Noise tells you.
January 16, 2025 @ 3:28 pm
people tore down statues of the founding fathers? lol. do you mean the confederacy?
no one on the left is offended by the flag, we just don’t feel the need to slap it on our car’s bumper next to the truck nuts (we know where we live).
January 14, 2025 @ 1:06 pm
I’m an independent Democrat (Bernie supporter) and I loathe both Trump and President Elect Elon Musk, but I mean come on. Half the country voted for these doofuses. Let’s be adults and let them have their moment. To be honest Bush Cheney did much worse than these guys will probably do.aga is already figuring out they’ve been had, just like we did with the Obumbler. Down with all oligarchs
January 14, 2025 @ 1:20 pm
You might be the only Democrat who remembers how bad Bush/Cheney was.
January 14, 2025 @ 2:10 pm
Bush and Cheney were terrible. Obama followed those losers and raised our taxes and quadrupled our healthcare rates. Trump put the economy in overdrive. Covid crashed it. Biden did nothing good for anyone. Trump does not seem that bad. I am optimistic about this term. None of establishment politicians want to see middle class succeed. That is what it feels like. All news media is driven by an agenda. All we hear is lies all day from both sides. The only way we can really judge if things went well in a presidential term is if your net worth increased or decreased.
January 14, 2025 @ 3:16 pm
We’re getting poorer, they’re getting richer.
It’s not the right/left axis we should care about; that’s just a scheme to distract us.
No, what’s really the problem is this; we’re back to the class system of the 30’s again, and they do whatever they can to keep us in our places pitching black against white, men against women, left against right, old against young, gay against straight.
Keeping us busy pondering these constructed “worries” helps them getting away with theft. Theft of wealth, theft of power, theft of freedom.
Theft of our very souls, as far as I understand it.
January 15, 2025 @ 7:03 am
To say Biden did nothing good for anyone is qualitatively untrue. So let’s set that record straight with the facts:
When the Biden administration arrived in Jan. 2021 the previous administration had done nothing to plan for how to administer millions of doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to the public. They were preoccupied with trying to overturn the election and not concerned with protecting the American public The Biden administration got it done in record time saving the lives of millions.
Every economic “expert” in 2021 said that due to the economic shutdown caused by Covid, the U.S. was headed for a massive recession. Many rated that chance at 100%! The Biden economic team and the Fed judiciously guided the economy back to health and there has been NO recession. Record job growth and low unemployment were also achieved. Inflation caused by Covid related supply chain shortages (and in some cases corporate price gouging) has also eased. Unfortunately there is virtually nothing that the President or the government can do to control inflation or roll back prices in the short term. Nor had anything the government did increase inflation. Increasing interest rates as the Fed did is a long-term remedy. Recent inflation is below 3%. (down from a 9.1 % high during Covid) The U.S. GDP was up to 3.1% in the third quarter of 2024. And the stock market had another record year. By every measure the U.S. economy remains the strongest in the world.
The CHIPS & Science Act & Infrastructure Bill were two more major accomplishments that will fuel significant economic growth.
That does not sound like “nothing:” to me.
January 15, 2025 @ 3:56 pm
Oh you have to be kidding me…. can’t even the most delusional left wingers concede the vaccine was not effective and the pandemic was an overreaction to a man made virus? You must be one of the soy boys that are stuck all the way up David Pakman’s ass, repeating his nonsense about the economy.
January 15, 2025 @ 5:05 pm
Regarding the vaccine, science says it was and is effective. When millions of people are dying and the dead bodies have to warehoused in refrigerated trucks outside of overcrowded hospitals, a vaccine is not “overreacting.”
My cousin was one of the millions that died of Covid. It was it not a mirage.
I’m not left or right wing. But I do believe in real facts and science.
January 15, 2025 @ 5:22 pm
Oh shit, what booster are you on? Do you dawn your mask while driving?
January 15, 2025 @ 5:28 pm
Do you really believe Biden has been running the country for the last 4 years.
January 15, 2025 @ 5:47 pm
Of course Biden has been running the country for the past 4 years. He won the 2020 election handily. And he’s been doing a damn fine job too as I pointed out in my first post. The economic figures don’t lie.
January 14, 2025 @ 1:28 pm
It seems to me that it should not impossible both to detest the [fill in your own epithet] who is about to return to the White House and to honor the constitutional right of artists to express their political views, whatever they are, however they choose to state them. And if we don’t agree with those views, we have a constitutional right to lament them while not denying them to anybody. Now that’s not so hard, is it?
January 14, 2025 @ 1:13 pm
I heard Jason Isbell graciously declined the offer to play the inauguration, offering his sincerest gratitude for the opportunity.
January 14, 2025 @ 1:19 pm
This is actually a little surprising. I get when Toby Keith performed for Bush. Stevie Ray Vaughan performing for Bush Sr.’s inaugraration is largely forgotton.
January 14, 2025 @ 1:59 pm
I could have sworn Toby Keith performed at a Bush Jr. inauguration but after Googling it I was incorrect. I DID NOT rememer that Beyonce and Destiny’s Child performed at Bush Jr’s 1st inauguration!
January 14, 2025 @ 4:26 pm
PS. Toby Keith performed at Trump’s inaugraration.
January 14, 2025 @ 9:46 pm
I knew he performed for Trump’s inaguration. I had misremembered that he also performed for Bush W.
January 15, 2025 @ 7:09 am
Did he? I am certain he performed for Trump but I don’t think it was the inauguration. Happy to be corrected though.
January 14, 2025 @ 4:24 pm
So is Stevie Ray Vaughan.
January 14, 2025 @ 1:31 pm
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
January 14, 2025 @ 2:05 pm
I think John Rich should rephrase his quote. He should be advocating for fellow country artists to support Carrie Underwood in her decision to play the inauguration, not advocating for fellow country artists to say out loud that they support Donald Trump. I personally think she simply took the pulse of the cultural landscape, noticed a paradigm shift and saw that Trump won both the popular vote and the electoral college, checked her bank account, and said hey, it would be an honor to sing at the inauguration.
January 14, 2025 @ 2:07 pm
Carrie Underwood still performs, TIL.
Someone alert us if some actual country music breaks out at the Inauguration.
As for Garth Brooks being liberal or whatever, why are you surprised if he is? Ever listen to the lyrics of the songs he wrote or co-wrote?
January 14, 2025 @ 2:25 pm
Trigger 2028 🇺🇸
January 14, 2025 @ 2:34 pm
Now, to be fair…we don’t know if she was ever asked by a president to perform. She gave a very gracious response and said she was honored to be invited, and she was answering the call. For any entertainer, this would be a career highlight. So no one should hold against HER what every performer would want to do. Truth be told, there are a lot of singers who secretly WISH they could do it, but burned their bridges long ago. The other thing to keep in mind is that this hyper-sensitive cancel culture we’ve endured for a decade is dead. No one cares about the griping anymore. We’re moving on, and we want the country to do well. So to any pearl-clutchers, grow up and get over it. This is where we are and where we’re going. As for Carrie, I doubt this will hurt her much at all. She’s reached an FU-level of fame; she can do what she wants. Besides, think of the alternative…did you really want Beyonce and Lizzo at the inauguration? Didn’t think so…
January 14, 2025 @ 2:38 pm
I agree that generally speaking, the whole “cancel culture” thing is no longer a concern aside from confirmed sexual predators, etc. This doesn’t mean this won’t hurt Underwood though. But who knows, maybe as some are saying, it’s a Haily Mary to revitalize her career. We’ll see.
January 14, 2025 @ 2:58 pm
If a musician’s politics or actions offend me, it’s up to me to decide if that is a good enough reason to not listen to or support them. It’s no different than deciding not to listen to or support a musician just because I support their politics; you know, just because I like your political position doesn’t mean I want to listen to your music. That’s not cancel culture, that just living by your convictions to whatever degree you feel compelled. I don’t know what Ms. Underwood’s politics are, and I have never been all that interested in her music, but she has to know that performing at the inauguration is going to be interpreted to be a tacit support of Donald Trump, and that some folks will like her more, while others will like her less, because of it.
January 14, 2025 @ 3:11 pm
The company I worked for in my young days was among those called on by Halliburton and others as subcontractors in Iraq, and you know what? The package they offer you is pretty sweet. 2.5 times your base salary plus combat pay, generous vacation time, and you only had to sign a 6-12 month contract. A paycheck almost $80.000 as a “technical advisor”, no less. A cool title for a young man lacking the higher grades.
I gnawed hard on this and finally decided that, you know, we made the mess, we should go over there and fix it.
Yes, that’s what I told the folks around me. But really, it was the $80.000
Soon you realize why they pay you such an amount; you’re expected to die. And to hell with the company’s moral responsibilities.
Politics is just the same. They do it for the money, left and right. Not for a second do they care about right or wrong.
January 14, 2025 @ 3:12 pm
Well her career is a dumpster fire so she jumps into a bigger dumpster fire. Not surprised at all. There’s a reason you’re at where you’re at sis
January 14, 2025 @ 4:29 pm
Someone should warn her about jumping into the greater L.A. now, really.
January 14, 2025 @ 3:32 pm
Celebrities, companies, etc. are free to support a candidate, and I am equally free to choose not to spend my money on them once I’ve gained this knowledge.
I do think that in the present day performing at an inauguration is a declaration of support for that candidate. One can wish that wasn’t the case, but that’s just not the world we live in.
January 14, 2025 @ 3:36 pm
I like Carrie Underwood well enough, but I’d rather have Anita Bryant’s bones perform at the inauguration.
January 14, 2025 @ 3:53 pm
It’s an honour for any artist to perform at the inauguration of the office of president. Personally, I would not care if she performed for Biden last time or Trump this time. It matters not, it is for the office. Those that wish to cancel her are probably not fans of hers or fans of music at all. I support many artists who do not necessarily have the same politics as me. It is an honour whoever is going to be president as well as national exposure to perform.
January 14, 2025 @ 4:22 pm
Pop country has always been far right beating the drum of Flag and Christ, at least all of my life. Maybe due to the treatment of the returning Nam Vets? I know it wasn’t always that way in country music was once the voice of the working class . But every war since Vietnam has been promtod with its own country anthem.
This is the main reason we needed alt-country and eventually americana, to give the rest of us something to listen to. In general I don’t care what an artists politics are, but if their songs promote war, American aggression, misogyny, or force their Sky daddy religion into my eardrums then I’m not going to listen to them.
January 14, 2025 @ 5:40 pm
Americana and alt-country is just as politically naive.
January 14, 2025 @ 6:32 pm
No, Americana and alt-country are blindly naive, and self destructive.
Fortunately, for a few of them, some of their music is entertaining, and good.
January 14, 2025 @ 5:43 pm
Are Scott H Biram and Jason and the Scorchers alt-country? Otherwise I see no need for it. Bland, semi-intellectual college rock.
January 14, 2025 @ 4:57 pm
Maybe she’s secretly doing it in honor of MLK.
January 14, 2025 @ 5:40 pm
Well, Carrie can kiss the SNF Theme Song gig goodbye.
January 14, 2025 @ 7:48 pm
Her kissing that goodbye is long overdue.
January 14, 2025 @ 5:44 pm
I’m in the let’s-take-a-chill-pill camp. In the end, what does it matter? She’s singing a song. By Monday afternoon, no one will remember or care. I don’t expect the artists I like to see everything the way I do. I expect their work to move me in some way. I love John Lennon’s music and, let’s face it, much of what he said when he wasn’t singing was batsh*t crazy. There have been and will be country artists I disagree with. If they ever run for president, I probably won’t vote for them. Other than that, if I love the songs, I’ll play them until my neighbors beg me to stop. There is more to life than Democrat and Republican. We’ll all be happier when more people figure that out.
January 14, 2025 @ 6:19 pm
I always laugh at stuff like this. I dont care who performs at stuff like this. Didnt care when garth did it, dont care about carrie doing it. I look at stuff like this as an honor. Just like a band going to a macys day parade. Sure some will complain cause its trump but you cant let the animals run the zoo. Its a big honor and i applaud her for doing it. Im not a big fan of hers and this doesnt change that one way or the other. But if its something she wanted to do to show support for her country, ill respect her a lot more for it. Much rather see artist do this than do stuff for political campaigns cause thats clearly political. This is much bigger.
January 14, 2025 @ 7:06 pm
My mom votes Dem (as do I) and has adopted “Jesus, Take the Wheel” as a personal anthem through the rough times in her life. She pointed out that there’s a big difference between agreeing to perform at the inauguration and performing at, say, a private party or something.
As far as comparing Carrie to Dolly, there have been plenty of times people on both sides of the aisle have called for Dolly’s cancellation because she didn’t take a stand on some issue or another. If Dolly had agreed to perform at the inauguration, yes she’d get some criticism, but I think most people would say Dolly would just be doing what makes Dolly, Dolly.
That said, I am not a fan and will continue to not be a fan, so this doesn’t affect me one way or the other. She will continue to remain to me a pretty face and pretty voice – lights on, no one home – and nothing much beyond that.
January 14, 2025 @ 7:46 pm
In the past at least, it felt like a president’s inauguration was viewed by plentiful entertainers as essentially just a symbolic honor to perform at: not so much due to what the respective president represented ideologically, but as a means of rolling out the carpet to a brand new era or chapter in the unfolding American storybook.
Toby Keith comes to mind as someone who I think viewed the presidential inauguration ceremony as such: who performed at presidential inaugurations comprised of presidents of both major parties representing a continuum of varying ideologies. I’m sure there are other examples but my mind is running a blank as of right now…………..but the point I’m trying to get at is that, at least historically, presidential inauguration ceremonies have usually struck me as being inherently non-political, or at the very least less political relative to other events like, say, a State Of The Union address.
As for Carrie Underwood: I’ve never personally viewed her as her generation’s equivalent to a Dolly Parton and, if anything, I think she must have really been irked by the backlash she received back when she accepted a co-sign on Jason Aldean’s “If I Never Loved You”…………and much like some backlash in recent memory probably got under Miranda Lambert’s skin and ultimately drove her to be a headlining name on the “Rock The Country” tour last year, so did that controversy for Underwood.
January 14, 2025 @ 9:27 pm
I wouldn’t say that Carrie Underwood is like this generation’s Dolly Parton at all. That comparison comes from how Carrie generally presents a rather squeaky clean persona who doesn’t ruffle feathers, and stands on strong Christian values, like Dolly.
I truly think that both Miranda and Carrie are doing things now we would never imagine them doing a few years ago. Perhaps that’s desperation in their careers, or perhaps after getting attacked publicly in the press for apparent trespasses, they’ve decided to take a “devil may care” attitude.
January 14, 2025 @ 9:47 pm
Yeah, I do get the “squeaky clean” part, although I do have to add that, again, she was at the center of a lot of initial scrutiny when she appeared on Aldean’s hit several years ago. I also vaguely remember when she irked some on the other end of the ideological spectrum over her support for gay marriage at a time when it wasn’t as popular or accepted as it is now.
I honestly think part of what may explain Underwood’s increasing willingness to be open about her ideological and political preferences………….stems from her marriage to Mike Fisher. It seems to be a similar scenario to how Brittany Kerr brought out more of the political side in Jason Aldean.
I personally don’t view what either is doing as desperation. In Underwood’s case in particular, I honestly won’t be the least bit surprised if she rides the controversy to at least a temporary resuscitation in her mainstream chart career (which she arguably already was experiencing with her feature on Cody Johnson’s current hit: another reason I don’t view this as desperation because this feature alone could drive a mainstream comeback era for her following the short-lived “Denim & Rhinestones” one). She’ll certainly lose some of her longtime left-leaning fans over this decision, but I feel it’ll be outnumbered in the short-term by gains among other corporate radio listeners who may have been ambivalent to her previously either because they didn’t care for her core sound or image.
January 20, 2025 @ 10:29 am
Gay marriage is accepted now? The republican party is constantly pushing against it. Their platform up till last year was filled with anti gay rhetoric. Supreme Court justices have said since conservative judges now out number liberal judges that it needs to be revisited. So no I don’t think that is accepted or popular especially amongst republicans.
January 14, 2025 @ 8:47 pm
Where IS John Rich today? (He was 51 on the seventh).For obvious reasons,I LOVED “Save A Horse,Ride A (Handsome Black) Cowboy,” but after he helped foist Fake Cowboy Troy on Country fans.(I haven’t forgotten YOU,Colt Ford,though I’m glad you’ve recovered from your heart attack),he disappeared.
Ms. Parton,who’ll be 79 Sunday,Jan.19,is an American (maybe world) treasure to whom it’s unfair to compare Carrie Underwood,or any Country artist.
January 14, 2025 @ 8:49 pm
John Rich’s IQ and age are fifty-one,and he’s a has-been anyway.
January 14, 2025 @ 8:52 pm
I didn’t always agree with Toby Keith,but he was a rational thinker,of whom too few exist in 2025. RIP,Toby,you’ll missed for LOTS of reasons,especially the one I typed above.
January 14, 2025 @ 9:16 pm
The Inaugruration is not a campaign rally.
It’s actually supposed to be non-partisan (though the kind of speeches Trump tends to give may belie that).
Giving Carrie Underwood flak for singing “America the Beautiful”–a unifying song and near-anthem–at the event is uncalled for.
Even if you think Trump is a disaster, you should show at least SOME tolerance. He’s going to be President for 4 years. Even thinking strategically, there’s a “Boy-Who-Cried-Wolf” element to throwing a fit over EVERYTHING that Trump says and everyone who associates with him in any way.
January 14, 2025 @ 9:37 pm
Carrie cancelled? Inaugurations are cancelled once the bad orange man destroys our democracy am I right?
January 14, 2025 @ 10:10 pm
Hey genius – might want to look at how L.A. is being
Maui-ed, currently.
January 15, 2025 @ 7:27 am
No amount of water or fire fighters can contain a fire in 100mph winds in neighborhoods that were built 50+ years ago.
Use some common sense, if any available.
January 15, 2025 @ 1:04 pm
Yes, let’s talk about the water – or theatrical (murderous) lack of.
January 14, 2025 @ 10:57 pm
Maybe she just loves the country.
January 15, 2025 @ 12:00 am
John Rich…”sissy”…hmmm. Remember how he treated Chely Wright? Not surprising he would refer to what appears to be other males as “sissy” – and the use of “outlaw” at this point has to be so ridiculous to the 70’s stars that LIVED it. So exhausted from these current posers referring to their careers and themselves or anything they associate as “outlaw(s)” – it’s embarrassing.
Carrie – Clearly, certainly not the smartest move. But it appears she doesn’t care.She has millions upon millions of dollars, so maybe all the billionaires that will be there might let her sit with them.
January 15, 2025 @ 2:16 am
Cheer up, Mike.
January 15, 2025 @ 1:23 am
“Trump … the lesser of two evils”. OK, Trigger.
January 15, 2025 @ 7:38 am
Not what I said. What I said is that some people might feel that wa., and even if they voted for him, don’t feel the need to come out and publicly endorse him as John Rich is trying to shame people into doing.
January 15, 2025 @ 1:40 am
To anyone comparing this to previous performances (Toby Keith, Beyoncé, Garth Brooks), it’s not because she’s performing at a Republican’s inauguration, it’s because it’s Trump’s. Do we need to constantly remind you that he tried to overturn the vote of the American people, that he’s a convicted felon, a self-confessed (and court convicted) sexual abuser….?
January 15, 2025 @ 3:09 pm
BlueAnon in the house!
January 15, 2025 @ 4:31 am
‘This is why the United States is mired in a doom cycle, because half of the country is constantly laboring to undermine the other half, and we all spend so much time fighting ourselves, we don’t recognize the elite of society are fleecing us all.’
That’s how I would get somebody else’s herd off the prime grass–get them stirred up against each other just enough to allow me to push them out onto the scrub while I move my herd in. Don’t let them act together to where they might stampede me.
Job done.
January 15, 2025 @ 5:23 am
Carrie’s career and legacy will be fine. She will do a great job with the song. Haters will get over it. She seems like an authentic person. It’s hard to stay mad or hate someone like her. Despite your political views. We need Trump to be successful. I really believe he will be. I know I’m saying we need unity.. blah… the last guy did an awful job on every front.. especially uniting the country. More importantly his policies hurt our pocket books. Trump will do a good job but he might hurt some feelings along the way.
January 15, 2025 @ 6:09 am
Missing from this discussion is that this inauguration is not about the usual left vs. right politics.
Fact check time:
For the first time in history the President-elect is a convicted felon & sexual predator with a civil conviction for his vile actions. That second part is especially distasteful to women. He also attempted to violently overthrow the U.S. Government when his massive ego could not accept the fact that he lost a free and fair election. As a result hundreds of people have been prosecuted and convicted for crimes that he inspired and endorsed. He is not a “normal” President-elect by any measure.
Why any entertainer would want to be associated with him and his crimes is baffling unless their career is in free-fall so they believe that they have nothing to lose. (i.e. Kid Rock & Lee Greenwood) If they consider any publicity to be good publicity then good luck with that. In any case they stand to alienate 50% of whatever fan base they may still have left.
Underwood may come to regret that decision. Time will tell.
January 15, 2025 @ 7:16 am
I think you missed the part where most agree it’s about the office and not the individual in it.
January 15, 2025 @ 7:38 am
I did not miss that part. Unfortunately, to the detriment of America this time it’s significantly different because of the convicted individual that will hold the office. That should not be overlooked or forgotten.
January 15, 2025 @ 4:02 pm
The country is separate from the president so doesnt matter what you think he has done. If only people could figure that out.
January 15, 2025 @ 6:24 am
The correct answer is, “Shut up about politics, (insert celebrity name here).”
January 15, 2025 @ 6:56 am
If only Bocephus were going to be there. Now that would give everyone something to talk about.
January 15, 2025 @ 3:11 pm
Hoss, I would support that!
January 15, 2025 @ 7:00 am
Mr. Trigger, while I am a huge fan of you and this site, I gotta correct you on two important points. 1., it is not 1/2 the country tearing at the other 1/2. It is about 1% on each side with big ole’ microphones blasting their tribalism to anyone who will listen. Considering everyone walks around with a audio/video pipe stuck in front of their face has amplified that 1% to appear to be 50%. 2. Not a fan of Rich – but he SANG a song about “shut up about politics.” He’s defending Carrie’s artist freedom to SING. I will always listen to someone’s art – no matter how left or liberal (or in the case of Rage Against the Machine – damn communist) as long as it is good art. But therein lies the difference – he’s defending an artist’s right to perform, he’s not haranguing about politics. The Dixie Chicks got in trouble not for a poignant song about war mongering, they lectured from the mic. See #1 above. Nuanced differences my friend.
January 15, 2025 @ 7:43 am
As someone else pointed out previously, if John Rich had come out and defended Carrie Underwood’s right to sing at the inauguration, that would be one thing. That’s not really what he did. He called every country music artist who doesn’t publicly broadcast their support for Trump a “sissy” for not being an “Outlaw,” which is a pretty ludicrous premise across the board. Voting is a private matter. That is why there is a curtain on the voter booth. John Rich is actively trying to further politicize the country music space, which seems to be the antithesis of “shut up about politics.”
January 15, 2025 @ 7:32 am
America is a nuclear-armed middle school.
January 15, 2025 @ 7:44 am
…And then both sides shook hands, hugged it out, sang Kumbaya, drank free Bubble Up, and ate rainbow stew.
January 15, 2025 @ 7:51 am
I started to write a response to this article, it started to get long, and I realized it was a complete waste of time. The responses above, for or against, show that America has allowed the cults of the extreme left and right become the loudest voices. Don’t stray too far from the line sheep, or you will be moved straight to the slaughter house.
The latest argument over the latest outrage has become so tiresome. It never convinces anyone, and as Trigger pointed out, it has the opposite effect most times. I’m tired of hearing about whatever made the moral superiority of the cults angry today. I’ll think for myself thank you.
January 15, 2025 @ 8:28 am
Getting so sick of all this cancel culture BS on both sides of the political spectrum. Yes the left is “woke” but so is the right on the opposite side of the political spectrum. Maybe woke is the wrong term, how about close minded. Both sides have their issues. If you don’t agree with them then turn it off. I’m not listening to Carrie Underwood, Morgan Wallen or Jason Aldean because of politics. It’s because they do nothing for me when I listen to them. Ted Nugent is a effing loon, but damn if Stranglehold still doesn’t sound great. Apparently Jason Isbell says some stupid stuff on Twitter. Don’t agree don’t read it. Don’t like his music, don’t listen. It’s pretty simple.
Social media and algorithms are echo chambers. They formulate division on purpose. Unplug, play a record, drink a beer and just chill out. You’ll feel better.
One last thing…be careful about meeting your (musical) heroes. Odds are you will be disappointed.
January 15, 2025 @ 8:35 am
FYI, I am going to be out of Internet range for a while, so the comments section is being turned off. As soon as I’m back it will be switched back on.
Thanks!
January 15, 2025 @ 3:38 pm
To everyone headed to Songwriter’s Fest, and Mile 0 Fest.
Wishing you a Wonderful time.
Watch your behinds out on the roadways.
Send pics.!
January 18, 2025 @ 11:19 pm
Did you just request pics of behinds…?
January 15, 2025 @ 3:50 pm
Maybe she is just a sensible Republican that supports Trump and that is why she is doing it. What’s wrong with that? People should never be condemned for common sense. Then again, the very people that will be critical of this are the ones pushing fairytale gender ideologies, so of course there is no reasoning with those hypocrites.
January 15, 2025 @ 4:15 pm
if i cant talk about politics can i talk about carrie underwoods plastic surgery she now has the same mutant face as christina aguiler and paris hilton
January 15, 2025 @ 4:38 pm
I thought this wasn’t a political web site.
January 15, 2025 @ 4:40 pm
It’s not. Cancelling one of mainstream country music’s few remaining women for singing “America, The Beautiful” is very much a country music matter. It’s unfortunate it bumps up with politics.
January 15, 2025 @ 4:38 pm
Liz Cheney’s a sensible Republican who DOESN’T support Trump,Mr. Mehoff.
January 15, 2025 @ 5:15 pm
Mr. Golden shower,
Yeah, so sensible that her endorsement of Kamabla helped derail her campaign. The majority really believes she’s sensible….
January 15, 2025 @ 5:39 pm
All I care to say is, Trigger…excellent use of the word ” apparatchik,” which is an awesome word in the King’s English.
January 16, 2025 @ 7:19 am
The majority of whom,Mehoff ? Brain-dead goobers like you? “Golden Shower?” Hmmmmm.Reads like projection to me,Jackie Boy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Trigger,every unjust system from Communism,Fascism,South African apartheid and Southern Jim Crow,had apparatchiks,i.e.,nameless,faceless folk who gained their miniscule prestige by upholding the oppression of the targeted groups.(See: Dumba** bus driver who had Mrs. Rosa McCauley-Parks arrested Dec.1,1955 for failure to yield her seat to a white passenger as per Alabama segregation law,touching off the Civil Rights Movement,the first iteration being the 381-day African American Montgomery,Ala.,Bus Boycott which was led by the man who was born Jan.15,1929 in Atlanta,and whose Holiday,Dr. Martin Luther King Day,will be observed,Monday,the 20th).
January 16, 2025 @ 8:02 am
The majority that decided even someone as polarizing as Trump with the baggage he has is a better alternative than the far left freaks. Your mom knows a thing or two about my projection. You type like an 18-year old soy boy confused about their gender and playing dress up as a girl.
January 16, 2025 @ 10:05 am
Trump didn’t get a majority. He got a plurality of voters.
Why does trigger keep allowing right wingers to launch personal attacks in the comments. This isn’t Facebook.
January 16, 2025 @ 10:16 am
“Brain dead goobers?” You tell me. The exact hypocrisy I’m talking about.
January 16, 2025 @ 11:10 am
Who are you quoting and calling a hypocrite? I didn’t insult anyone here.
January 16, 2025 @ 10:03 am
In response to Mr. Rich’s apparent hypocrisy, I’ll just quote the title of a book by a well-known conservative woman:
“Shut up and sing.”
Or don’t. Please.
Great piece, Trig. You nailed it, as usual/
January 16, 2025 @ 3:18 pm
I don’t have a problem with Carrie or Garth performing at inaugurations. If I were a musician, and I had the opportunity to play one, I’d do it regardless of party because I love this country.
A president of the United States of America is not just the president of his party. It’s time for people in this country to start thinking of ourselves as Americans first and republicans or democrats second. I’m tired of the partisan divide. People seem to hate other Americans more than adversarial nations. It’s gotta stop.
I think it’s cool that the Village People are performing the inauguration. They’re not a republican act, they’re gay icons who’ve gone on record saying they preferred Harris, but they’re performing because they’re pro-American and want to bring the country together. People could learn a thing or two from those queens. The elections over, let’s stop debating like enemies and start conversing like friends. United we stand, that’s the American way.
January 20, 2025 @ 10:56 am
The village people consist of one origional heterosexual member and he even tries to deny the fact that ymca was a gay anthem. Going as far to threatening to sue anyone who says otherwise. So let’s be honest them accepting the gig is nothing more than grasping at the limelight. Their careers died long ago so of course they will take any gig they can get.
January 16, 2025 @ 8:36 pm
I’m more man (with a 165 IQ to boot) than your trailer trash like could ever hope to be,Mehoff.
January 16, 2025 @ 8:38 pm
Or was before the Trumpanzees took over,Mickey !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 17, 2025 @ 3:26 am
I’m sure that Carrie and her team knew the response they would get when they agreed to do it. The Inauguration Celebration is an American Tradition and she’s right that it’s an honor to be invited and to perform in celebration of our Democracy regardless which ever party is elected. I don’t think this will hurt her professionally; yes, she will lose supporters who are blinded beyond their politics but 77 million people voted for Trump. Many of those Trump supporters will likely rally behind Carrie and begin to support her as well which will make up for any loses from the other side. You know a lot more than me about the history of Country Music but I think that the large majority of County listeners probably supported Trump as well as the NFL fan base which are the two groups of people that Carrie needs to appeal to. There was some “Fake News” out there saying she lost 1.5 million listeners in a day but that was fact check and it was only 11 thousand which isn’t unusual. I did notice that 9 of her albums are on the itunes top 100 Country Album charts today with several being in the top 25 so I think she may come out of this stronger. Honestly, I hope she does and she will have the ladies of the view and all the social media wannabes to thank for it. 🙂
January 17, 2025 @ 12:15 pm
I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again…if you choose what artists to listen to because of their politics you are a brainwashed moron. Get your heads out of your echo chamber and lighten up.
January 17, 2025 @ 3:01 pm
For a site about saving country music & an article about keeping politics out of country music, this was an awfully right-leaning article
January 17, 2025 @ 4:07 pm
No, it’s not. It’s the same opinions espoused over and over again, just switching the names and the political alignments. The same exact opinions were shared when Garth Brooks showed up for Biden.
I’m really surprised that the inauguration has seemed to cause more political consternation than the election itself.
January 20, 2025 @ 11:03 am
Question, did you write similar articles about garth or the Dixie chick’s? If you did then not right leaning but if you didn’t then you chose this particular situation to be outraged about and that makes it right leaning.
P.s. if you did i live to read them.
January 20, 2025 @ 11:51 am
Yes, I have written extensively against the hyper-politicization of the music space in dozens of articles that straddle both sides of the political divide, similar to how I criticized John Rich in this very article. The cancellation of the [Dixie] Chicks is an embarrassment in country history. That is why I don’t want it repeated again.
You can search around the website all you want. Here’s one article:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/destroying-the-dixie-chicks-ten-years-after/
January 20, 2025 @ 1:08 pm
Good article. It’s a shame they were treated like that. It went beyond simply voicing your opinions on their statement. It rose to a level of attempting to destroy their lives. It went beyond a simple boycotting their work . It went to death threats.
In my opinion carrie underwood performing at his inauguration shows she supports him. If she supports him she supports all the misogynistic, bigoted, racist, homophobic ,things that came out his mouth. So I personally can not continue to support her. I would never attempt to stop others enjoying her music if they so choose to do so.
January 18, 2025 @ 1:24 pm
The major difference between Underwood and the Dixie Chicks is very simple. We should NOT have invaded Iraq, period. The entire WMD cause was garbage, as we all know. They were absolutely right to go after Bush for going in. Dumpster Fire is a felon, a liar, a grifter, a racist, was found guilty for sexual assault (first wife said she was r-a-p-e-d but later recanted as they were dealing with her divorce settlement (go figure). I believe what she shared with her good friends was factual…just as the “rumors” about the “R” thing with pal Jeffrey Epstein), a danger to our national security, a man child who is horrible to women, the elderly, immigrants (legal or otherwise), the poor, pals with Putin, etc..
January 20, 2025 @ 2:42 pm
You almost had the perfect score on the “I’m a good little liberal” bingo card. But then you used the forbidden word!
–The US country trio Dixie Chicks have changed their name to the Chicks because of connotations with the word Dixie, which was used to describe the Confederate US states that upheld slavery.–
January 20, 2025 @ 6:57 am
You’re one of the few truth tellers (perhaps the only one) on “Saving Country Music” about your incoming (today,Jan.20,on the Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr. Holiday;pardon me as I barf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Grifter-In-Chief,Jill.(Dolly Parton was 79 yesterday;John Michael Montgomery is 60 today.)
January 20, 2025 @ 11:38 am
Thanks for all you do with this site. Casual reader and your defense of Carrie is commendable. I have noticed guys like Rich and Aldean get called out for being outspoken conservatives while libtards like Sturgil and Isbell get a ghetto pass. Apologies if this is incorrect I know it is tough being an independent rational thinker in Austin these days.
January 21, 2025 @ 9:31 pm
People get called out on hateful behavior and or beliefs. If it happens to magatards more there is a reason.
January 20, 2025 @ 6:51 pm
What an incredible, unifying moment. The backing track wouldn’t work, Carrie mouths “I can seng it” live a Queen, asks everyone to help her out and Republicans and Democrats all sang “America the Beautiful” together.