In his quest to win the election, Donald Trump managed to offend the very entertainment industry that propped his name in the limelight for so many years. Now the president-elect can't even book A-list talent to perform at his inauguration, an effective freeze out that reportedly has Trump livid.
On Thursday night, this contempt from the Hollywood-New York City elite provoked Trump to tweet a rather sad lie for his populist base:
The so-called "A" list celebrities are all wanting tixs to the inauguration, but look what they did for Hillary, NOTHING. I want the PEOPLE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2016
Trump is struggling to secure RSVPs from former presidents, let alone headliners like Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars. One month out from the inauguration, Jimmy Carter is the only former president who has announced his planned attendance; artists like Elton John and singer Andrea Bocelli have reportedly declined invitations.
In the summer, before Trump knew he would one day plan his own inauguration, the television celebrity and real estate mogul took a hands-on approach to the Republican National Convention, "dealing directly in the details of his coronation as Republican nominee to maximize the drama and spectacle of the party's four-night convention," Eli Stokols and Hadas Gold reported for Politico at the time.
Now Trump is left with mid-level talent to perform at his inauguration. As Salon's Gary Legum wrote:
For all of that, as of Thursday the list of talent scheduled read like a who's-who of angry, washed up wingnut musicians (Ted Nugent and Kid Rock) and acts last seen performing at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Rockettes, a runner-up from Season 5 of "America's Got Talent").
But that's fine. Trump doesn't even want the A-list celebrities. He said so in his tweet.
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