# What's the deal with Trump's Inaguration Committee's inability to secure "A" list talent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 3, 2017, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192 "2017-01-03T02:03:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/161 "2017-01-18T16:01:54Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > Haven’t seen a mention of Jennifer Holliday here, who backed out of performing due to [death threats](http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/18/entertainment/jennifer-holliday-trump/index.html). I wonder why nobody else wants to perform. She seems to primarily base the decision on the (non-threatening) reaction from her fans: > [@](#): > > She pointed to a Daily Beast article titled “Jennifer Holliday Will Perform at Trump’s Inauguration, Which Is Heartbreaking to Gay Fans” for helping change her mind. > She said she saw the pain among many gays, who have been stalwart, longtime supporters, and feared she was leaving the impression she was not sincere in her support of her fans. > [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > As far as I know, it’s a paid gig. Traditionally, it’s not. You perform out of honor and respect for the presidency – both the man and the office. You may have a nonpartisan inclination to perform out of respect for the office itself and the nation. You may respect the person taking oath. But, historically, there’s no paycheck involved. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/162 "2017-01-18T16:08:06Z")
From a [different article](http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/14/politics/jennifer-holliday-donald-trump-inauguration/index.html) on Holliday: > [@](#): > > A publicist for the the “Dreamgirls” diva said in a statement Saturday that Holliday, who was slated to sing at an inaugural event on Thursday, changed her tune after the inauguration committee pre-emptively announced her appearance before she decided to perform. The statement also cited outcry from fans and people in the LGBT community who expressed disappointment at her participation. > […] > “Her rep also says that upon the (announcement), Holliday started getting letters from fans that they were disappointed. The LGBTQ community, amongst others, were some that were most upset. In the past, her rep Bill Carpenter explains that she performed for Pres. Reagan, George W. Bush, George H. W. Bush, and (Bill) Clinton, but when Jennifer saw the outcry, she pulled out of the inauguration.” It’s disingenuous to present this as “She backed out because of threats”. She backed out because she saw the disappointment from her fans and felt that the opinion of the LGBTQ and other communities was more important than performing for Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/163 "2017-01-18T17:05:23Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Would you perform at a Klan rally for a few bucks? > > Same idea. It’s deplorable. > > Very few people in this country want to be associated with our new President. That’s a good thing. The presidential inauguration is a Klan rally? President Obama will be attending the inauguration, right? Can’t picture him at a Klan rally. > [@Jophiel](#): > > From a [different article](http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/14/politics/jennifer-holliday-donald-trump-inauguration/index.html) on Holliday: > > It’s disingenuous to present this as “She backed out because of threats”. She backed out because she saw the disappointment from her fans and felt that the opinion of the LGBTQ and other communities was more important than performing for Trump. According to her, she received death threats, racial slurs from other black people on social media and the LGBT community expressed disappointment. Even if the death threats weren’t Holliday’s biggest reason cancel, that [apparently was the case for opera singer Andrea Bocelli](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4120970/Opera-star-Andrea-Bocelli-backs-singing-Trump-s-inauguration-receiving-death-threats.html). So at least two performers that committed and then backed out received death threats. And, of course, immense backlash on social media. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/164 "2017-01-18T17:16:33Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > Even if the death threats weren’t Holliday’s biggest reason cancel, that [apparently was the case for opera singer Andrea Bocelli](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4120970/Opera-star-Andrea-Bocelli-backs-singing-Trump-s-inauguration-receiving-death-threats.html). According to “a source”. Which isn’t Bocelli and there were also “sources” saying it was due to general fan disapproval. So we have one singer who has said why she backed out but we like the death threat story better and another singer who hasn’t released a statement but there’s a convenient narrative to weave so let’s go with that :rolleyes: This is aside from that fact that Trump was elected in early November, these stories came out a few days ago and Trump still has nothing lined up. That Trump wasn’t able to get anyone to commit in November or December or early January isn’t because of a story from three days ago. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/165 "2017-01-18T17:47:14Z")
I don’t understand your point. Death threats to inauguration performers isn’t a big deal? The Bocelli story is fake? If so, apologies for linking to it. It’s on a few other outlets. Jennifer Holliday was never anything remotely close to a Trump supporter, but she was going to perform because she traditionally has sung at inaugurations and she thought it was time to move on. But backlash, whether it was the death threats, racial slurs or LGBT community, caused her to rethink that. Why would any other performer sign up for that, even if they do like Trump? It’s not worth whatever backlash or boycott comes your way. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/166 "2017-01-18T17:56:12Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > I don’t understand your point. Death threats to inauguration performers isn’t a big deal? You implied that it was a primary reason for performers not agreeing to be at the inauguration. Maybe I misunderstood you. My point is that this argument, if it was yours, is pretty flawed. > [@](#): > > Jennifer Holliday was never anything remotely close to a Trump supporter, but she was going to perform because she traditionally has sung at inaugurations and she thought it was time to move on. But backlash, whether it was the death threats, racial slurs or LGBT community, caused her to rethink that. Why would any other performer sign up for that, even if they do like Trump? It’s not worth whatever backlash or boycott comes your way. Sure, but there’s a big difference between “I won’t perform because my fans will be upset” and “I won’t perform because my fans will literally end my life”. The former seems to be the main driver, not the latter. The side point is that it’s not as though we have a dozen performers dropping out because most performers had zero interest even before these stories broke. Using them as an excuse for why Trump couldn’t line up acts for over two months is pretty weak. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/167 "2017-01-18T19:42:26Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > No wildlife. Remember what happened with [Trump and the eagle](http://time.com/4141783/time-person-of-the-year-runner-up-donald-trump-eagle-gif/)? The monkey would try to eat him. > > And we don’t want a sick monkey on our conscience. Speaking of, could John Ashcroft perform Let The Eagle Soar, just over and over again? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/168 "2017-01-18T19:45:44Z")
I’d pay good money not to have to watch that. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/169 "2017-01-18T22:12:36Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Very few people in this country want to be associated with our new President. That’s a good thing. I know what you meant, but I don’t think having a President this awful–objectively and subjectively–is a good thing. It’s a bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/170 "2017-01-18T22:19:41Z")
I thought I heard Trump didn’t want Andrea Bocelli. Now the story is that Bocelli backed out because of death threats? How do I reconcile these stories? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/171 "2017-01-18T22:25:15Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > **I thought I heard Trump didn’t want Andrea Bocelli.** Now the story is that Bocelli backed out because of death threats? How do I reconcile these stories? He likes opera singers who can see. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/172 "2017-01-18T22:39:16Z")
> [@](#): > > In an interview with CNBC, Thomas J. Barrack Jr., the chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee for Trump, characterized the situation with Bocelli differently, saying that Bocelli did not turn down Trump’s request— rather, Barrack claims, the tenor approached Trump and offered to perform. “[But] Donald said, ‘You don’t need to. We’re not in that kind of a framework. Thanks very much for the offer. You’re my friend. You are always welcome at the White House,’” Barrack said. > **[Who Is Singing At The Inauguration? Donald Trump's List Is Pretty Thin So Far](https://www.bustle.com/p/who-is-singing-at-the-inauguration-donald-trumps-list-is-pretty-thin-so-far-26676)** > > To many Americans, performing at a presidential inauguration is more than just a show. It's a political statement, a proclamation of beliefs and who you're willing to put your name behind. That's why the subject of who will be performing at the… ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/173 "2017-01-18T22:41:40Z")
I think it’s reasonable to say that X percentile of any letter to any famous person will be a death threat. If you’re not getting them, you’re just not famous enough. I doubt that anyone canceled because of death threats. They’re just a good one to throw in there if you want the bonus excuse. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/174 "2017-01-18T22:48:14Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > He likes opera singers who can see. Or he thought he’s from Mexico. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/175 "2017-01-18T22:56:33Z")
> [@Battle\_Pope](#): > > Or he thought he’s from Mexico. Or he thought he was a woman. ---
**Author:** ![ElderSign](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eldersign/32/8263_2.png) [@ElderSign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElderSign)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/176 "2017-01-18T23:00:34Z")
It is obvious that they fear being blacklisted by their peers and lose social media followers, and maybe even get killed. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/177 "2017-01-18T23:28:11Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > People seem to think that artists who perform at Trump’s inauguration must be Trump supporters. Why is that? As far as I know, it’s a paid gig. So’s playing for “[brutal dictators](http://www.cracked.com/article_23862_6-brutal-dictators-you-didnt-know-had-celebrity-bffs.html)”, but it doesn’t do much for your reputation. If I were a famous musician, I wouldn’t play for trump, nor Putin, nor Idi Amin, or that pudgy dude in North Korea. And if, in the next four years I did something that got me the Presidential Medal of Freedom, I’d ask if they could just mail it to me. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/178 "2017-01-19T02:36:32Z")
> [@ElderSign](#): > > It is obvious that they fear being blacklisted by their peers and lose social media followers, and maybe even get killed. Really famous people fear being killed as a normal job hazard. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/179 "2017-01-19T03:43:33Z")
> [@ElderSign](#): > > It is obvious that they fear being blacklisted by their peers and lose social media followers, and maybe even get killed. True. Your career doesn’t depend on one gig. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192/180 "2017-01-19T03:56:55Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > The committee foots the bill for the event but it sounds as though that’s more for renting the stage and lights and paying the caterers, etc. Performers show up out of respect for the president and the ceremony (and for the free promotion). I find it very hard to have any respect for someone that show no respect to other people ! Trump only care about Donald Trump! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-inaguration-committees-inability-to-secure-a-list-talent/776192.md?page=10)