Jump ahead to today, January 20, 2025—Inauguration Day. Everything was going smoothly, and many of us were excited to witness Donald Trump being sworn into office, marking the end of what many considered one of the most disastrous presidencies in modern times—Joe Biden’s.
But then, uh oh… A technical malfunction. The music wouldn’t play. Was this an ominous sign—would it mar what was already a wonderful day?
But no, Underwood demonstrated that she was not just a talented singer but also a professional with great elegance. She metaphorically hit a home run with her performance:
Selected to sing “America The Beautiful” at the inauguration in the Rotunda at the U.S. Capitol, Underwood was escorted in and stood by for her cue to start singing in front of Trump, his family, prominent politicians, and other well-known figures.
But no cue would come.
Underwood quickly ascertained that the accompanying instrumental track was not working, leaving her to improvise. “If you know the words, help me out here,” she prefaced before singing a cappella.
And boy did she sing it:
Here is the splendid @carrieunderwood performance at the Trump Inauguration. This is what a professional looks like. With grace, when the military band audio failed, she sang her song with the audience. All American and perfect. pic.twitter.com/Qce0AHj6fJ
— Raymond Arroyo (@RaymondArroyo) January 20, 2025
Being a person who shivers at the thought of singing in public, I can’t imagine what that moment must have been like, when she was standing in front of President Trump, former commanders-in-chief and their spouses, and leaders from all around the country… and her music wouldn’t cooperate. I might have simply run away, but she handled the moment and to my mind, delivered a magnificent performance. In fact, my guess is it was probably more moving than it would have been had the music played.
