Less than a month out, Donald Trump's Inaugural Committee is still at a loss for big names who would even dare show up on Jan. 20. And the president-elect's advisers are definitely totally not overly defensive about that fact.
"You know, this is not Woodstock. It’s not Summer Jam. It’s not a concert. It’s not about celebrities," adviser Boris Epshteyn told CNN. "As Donald Trump tweeted himself, it’s about the people. That’s what we’re concentrated on."
Epshteyn pointed to three top of the list performers confirmed to show up: The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Rockettes (despite troupe members not wanting to do it) and 16-year-old Jackie Evancho, from "America's Got Talent" fame.
Trump himself — via his "pipeline" to the unwashed masses, Twitter — spoke out about his lack of appeal to A-list celebrities, citing Hillary Clinton's ineffectual star power.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Trump's Inaugural Committee couldn't for the life of them book a high-profile music act aside from Kid Rock and Ted Nugent.
"They are willing to pay anything," a "Hollywood insider" told The Wrap. "They told me, ‘We’ll pay their fees.’ Most of these artists’ fees are in the six to seven figures."
As of last week, per The Wrap, "Performers who are known to have rejected requests include Elton John, country singer Garth Brooks and opera star Andrea Bocelli. According to the insider, many of those approached have said they do not want to 'normalize' Trump’s presidency."
The Trump team's dignity still didn't find the floor, though, as even local D.C. high school marching bands broke tradition and announced this month that they'd opted out of performing in the inaugural parade.
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