Today is the inauguration. I won’t be watching. I’m trying to give as little energy to all of this as possible. Others feel differently, and it’s interesting to watch as various entertainers navigate their desire to cozy up to Donald Trump for his second term. Trump’s first term was a relative desert when it came to celebrities, but this time, it’s going to be different. This should act as a preview of coming attractions too – Snoop Dogg went to Washington over the weekend to perform at the Inaugural Crypto Ball:
Some Snoop Dogg fans are ready to drop him like he’s hot after a controversial appearance. The rapper, 53, on Friday performed at an event in Washington, D.C., where cryptocurrency executives celebrated the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
The Inaugural Crypto Ball, held at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, billed itself on its website as an event “intended to honor the 60th Presidential Inauguration, America’s first ‘crypto president,’ President elect Donald J. Trump, his incoming cabinet and administration.”
The event did not feature an appearance from the president-elect himself, but Trump’s incoming crypto czar David Sacks served as emcee for the gala.
Given it’s about crypto and given Snoop’s whole vibe, I would imagine he showed up because he got a pretty big check and he probably didn’t see it as particularly political. But Nelly? Nelly also decided to perform at one of the inaugural balls held today, and he spoke out about the backlash:
Amid backlash, Nelly is defending his decision to perform at an inaugural ball following President-elect Donald Trump’s swearing-in on Monday.
The rapper, 50, spoke with Willie D in a YouTube stream Saturday after it was revealed he will perform at the Liberty Ball, one of three official inaugural balls, on Inauguration Day. He said he is “not political” and that his performance isn’t about endorsing Trump.
“I respect the office,” Nelly said. “This isn’t politics. The politics, for me, it’s over. He won. He’s the president. He’s the commander-in-chief of what I would like to say is the best country in the world.”
The “Hot In Herre” artist continued: “It is an honor for me to perform for the president of the United States, regardless of who is in office. If President Biden would have asked me to perform, I would have performed. If Vice President Kamala Harris would have won and asked me to perform, I would have performed.”
The three-time Grammy-winner, who described himself as an independent, brushed off the criticism he has received, saying, “I’ve been getting backlash my whole career. That don’t bother me.”
When Nelly was asked directly if he is a Trump supporter during the stream, he reiterated, “I support the president of the United States, regardless of who’s in office. I respect the office.”
“I respect the office regardless of who is president” went out the window years and years ago. It’s painful and depressing to watch Snoop and Nelly soft-launch their Trump support or whatever this sh-t is.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
