Nelly is leaning into his St. Lunatic behavior, again, when it comes to performing for Trump.
Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty
Despite backlash from fans, the “Hot In Herre” rapper said he was “honored” to have been invited by Donald Trump to perform at the inauguration on Jan 20.
In an interview with CBS News White House reporter Willie James Inman on Monday, the St. Louis native thanked the Republican president for extending the invitation to perform for the incoming administration.
“You know, I feel honored to be here tonight. Again, my performance is definitely for the office. I feel honored that I’ve been asked, and yeah, man, I’m here to have a good time,” Nelly said while speaking to the reporter at the Liberty Ball.
The “Country Grammar” hitmaker insisted that politics did not play a role in his decision when he signed up to participate in the inauguration.
“It’s not political for me. For me, the political part is over. He won. And, you know, growing up, I was taught to respect the office,” Nelly added to ABC News reporter Kyra Phillips during an interview on Monday.
Nelly said he hopes his involvement will show that people have different opinions and perspectives. He highlighted that while not everyone will agree on everything, progress can still be made by working together.
The rap star added:
“I think certain people have an outlook, and I’ve always believed that you got to walk through the fire sometimes to get results, and regardless of what you feel about it, we as a people, and I mean, you know, my heritage, as far as being African American, we’ve always had to work with people that we may not have always agreed with to get things done. And I think that struggle continues, but at the end of the day, if the men and women of this country can put their life on the line for a president that they may not have voted for. I can definitely perform for the office.”
The Grammy-award-winning hip-hop star previously opened up about his decision to perform at the inauguration during a radio interview with host Willie D. on Jan.18, a chat in which he adamantly denied claims of accepting “money” to perform for Trump and his MAGA goons despite hearsay from fans.
“I’m not doing this for money. I’m doing this because it’s an honor. I respect the office. It don’t matter who is in office,” Nelly said at the time. “The same way our brothers and sisters go to war to put their life on the line for whoever is in office. So, if they can put their life on the line for whoever is in office, I can damn sure perform for whoever is in office.”
At the Liberty Ball on Monday, Nelly stood by his earlier statement, telling CBS’ Willie James Inman that he wasn’t concerned about facing criticism from his supporters. The father of one explained that his support for Trump was part of a larger plan to unite America.
“I’ve been catching haters my whole career. You know what I mean? Like, I always try to think forward, and also try to trust in my myself in a sense of when I truly believe that I’m doing what’s right…I truly believe that I have a plan to help get things done,” he continued.
“Even in the beginning, like I’ve been getting backlash since ‘04, when I decided I wanted to do a song with Tim McGraw. You know what I mean, when I decided in 2004 when it was kind of unheard of…I was catching backlash then, but it was forward thinking, because I always try to stay positive and think that what I’m doing is in the best interest of uniting.”
According to Inman, Nelly was “a little bit coy” when asked if he planned to serve as an informal advisor to the president. However, the rapper expressed he would be open to offering his input if the administration were to ask for political guidance on certain issues.
What do you think of Nelly’s support of Trump? Thoughts?
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