President-elect Donald Trump may have famously struggled to secure a star-studded line-up for his last inauguration, but the same can’t be said for his 2025 ceremony, with performers from all across the nation throwing their (studded cowboy) hats in the celebratory ring.
The 2025 line-up will perform over several days, as Trump prepares to formalise his second term the Whitehouse with four days of celebrations across the Capitol.
Names like Carrie Underwood, The Village People, Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus and even rapper Nelly, will take to the stage to kick of the federal festivities, alongside celebrities, tech titans and foreign leaders, who are all scheduled to descend upon Washington in anticipation.
And with a reported $200US million raised to fund his inauguration – almost double the figure donated and raise for his first – its no wonder- the guest list is at capacity.
But as with any notable political event, there are some shocks and surprises, as well as some not-so-happy fans that have some thoughts (here’s looking at you Carrie).
Below, the celebrity performers and notable guest list, set to attend the 2025 inauguration of the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump.
Who Will Perform At The Trump Inauguration In 2025?
Carrie Underwood

Country music singer Carrie Underwood will perform America The Beautiful as a precursor to the official oath-taking ceremony that will follow.
Almost as soon as the news broke that the American Idol winner was due to perform on January 20, it was clear that many fans weren’t happy about her decision to accept the invitation.
The private singer had previously kept her political views away from public consumption.
Revealing her decision to do so in a 2019 interview with The Guardian, she said: “I try to stay far out of politics if possible, at least in public, because nobody wins.”
“It’s crazy. Everybody tries to sum everything up and put a bow on it, like it’s black and white. And it’s not like that.”
After facing backlash for taking the 2025 gig, Underwood explained “I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event.”
“I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”
But many of her LGBTQI+ followers are none too pleased, taking to X (formally Twitter) to voice their disappointment in the Love Wins singer.
One X user wrote over a GIF that repeats ‘Ouch’: “Carrie Underwood was the start of my gay awakening. Sweet precious 17 year old me. I only liked her first 2 albums. She was one of the first mainstream country stars to say she supported marriage equality. I knew that meant a lot to me, but I didn’t realize how much until now.”
Underwood will join opera singer Christopher Macchio – scheduled to sing the national anthem – at the swearing in ceremony.
While there’s been no confirmation as to whether Underwood will bring her giant coupe-style performance vessel to the stage for the inauguration, it would certainly bring a bit of flair to the otherwise formal events.
The Village People

The Village People, whose hit song Y.M.C.A became a mainstay at Trump election trail events, will take to the stage once again to perform at one of the inaugural balls.
Although one of the group’s founders and only original member left, Victor Willis (the policeman), had previously sent a cease-and-desist letter to Trump’s lawyer to demand he stop playing their songs at his rallies. But, it now appears the tide has, rather dramatically, shifted from derision to devotion, with Willis taking to social media to defend his stance.
In a Facebook post a few days before the band was set to take the stage, Willis explained the band’s reasoning for accepting the confusing invitation.
He wrote: “First of all, our performances are not an indorsement of the President Elect’s policies no matter what you say to the contrary. Having said that, we do support that we have a new president now and we should all wish him well until he gives us a reason not to. But let’s give him a chance and see what he’s going to do.”
“Let’s see what he’s going to do moving forward and if he does things to restrict LGBTQ rights, Village People will be the first to speak out. But you can’t transfer your rights issues onto the shoulders Village People,” he continued, before commending Donald Trump for bringing “a lot of joy to the American people with his use of Y.M.C.A and claiming any refusal to accept the invitation would be inherently “negative.”

And, in a perplexing turn of events, Willis also denounced the “false assumption” that the band’s famous hit, Y.M.C.A, is a “gay anthem.”
“As I’ve said numerous times in the past, that is a false assumption based on the fact that my writing partner was gay, and some (not all) of Village People were gay, and that the first Village People album was totally about gay life,” he explained in another Facebook post.
“This assumption is also based on the fact that the YMCA was apparently being used as some sort of gay hangout and since one of the writers was gay and some of the Village People are gay, the song must be a message to gay people. To that I say once again, get your minds out of the gutter. It is not.”
Will Nelly Perform At The Trump Inauguration?

While not technically performing during the official inauguration ceremony, rapper Nelly will appear at the Liberty Inaugural Ball – one of three official balls taking place in celebration of Trump’s return to the oval office.
Not immune from Trump-related criticism himself, Nelly responded to those confused by a recent interview with Willie D Live.
Dismissing anyone who appeared to conflate his political leanings with the acceptance of Trump’s offer, Nelly was quick to shut down the backlash.
“I thought you was riding with me because I put on for my city and I try to bring my city up every step of the way. I did not know you was riding with me because you thought I would ride with who you voted for,” he said.
“If you follow what I do, this shouldn’t even be an argument. He’s the president. He won. This isn’t a campaign, this isn’t an RNC. I’m not out on a political campaign.”
Continuing, Nelly remarkably likened his appearance as performing a civic duty. One that was “an honor… the same way that our men and women, our brothers and sisters who protect this country, have to go to war and have to put their life on the line for whoever in office.”
“So if they can put their life on the line for whoever in office, I can damn sure perform.”
Nelly’s statement isn’t that outlandish when you consider the general state of appeasement in the Trump-scented air at the moment, with
Who Else Will Perform At Trump’s Inauguration?

Joining the rest of the line up will be country music stars Kid Rock and Billy Ray Cyrus, along with Gavin DeGraw – of One Tree Hill theme song fame.
Kid Rock, aka Robert James Ritchie, also performed at the MAGA Victory Rally on the eve of the inauguration, sharing his views on what Trump’s second term means to America.
“It feels like the rebirth of our nation,” he told Fox News before his performance.
“There’s just this overwhelming sense … you’ve heard it a million times, that America’s back.”
Tech Titans Join Foreign Officials To Welcome Trump

Just in case anyone was worried, Silicon Valley will be well represented at the Trump 2025 inauguration, with tech’s elite making their presence known in Washington to mark the occasion.
Everyone from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Alphabet (Google) CEO Sundar Pichai, to TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew and of course, Elon Musk, are all scheduled to show their support.
But their presence is far from surprising, given the group reportedly made contributions of US$1 million each in the lead up to Trump’s inauguration.
The tech bro conference-come-inauguration will take place amid outgoing President Biden’s recent comments about Zuckerberg’s fact-checking repeal announcement at Meta.
“An oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy,” Biden said of the growing influence over the incoming government.
In the same message, Biden also warned of “the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a few ultra-wealthy people.”
A handful of foreign leaders are also expected to attend the ceremonial events, including Argentina’s president Javier Milei and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Amid the ongoing TikTok negotiations and tariffs discourse, China’s vice president, Han Zheng, is also expected to make an appearance on behalf of President Xi Jinping, who was also invited.
Zheng’s presence marks the first time in American history – according to records dating back to 1874 – that a foreign leader has ever attended a ceremony of this kind.
Who Won’t Be In Attendance At Trump’s Inauguration?

In a break of tradition, former first lady Michelle Obama will be notably absent from the proceedings.
The decision to skip the ceremony while her husband, former president Obama attends, is contrary to protocol which usually dictates that former presidents and their spouses attend inaugurations – regardless of the side they served under.
However, the former first lady isn’t the first to break ranks. Trump himself was marked absent from Joe Biden’s 2020 inauguration weeks after the January 6 riot on the Capitol wreaked political havoc.
While Michelle Obama took part in the traditional transition to power ceremony with Trump and Melania in 2017, she’s also made no secret of her feelings regarding the president-elect since.
She once said she’d “never forgive” Trump for spreading false allegations about her husband’s country of birth, claiming his dangerous rhetoric put her “family’s safety at risk.”
Where To Watch The Inauguration In Australia
The inauguration events, beginning with a formal swearing-in ceremony, will be available to watch live on SBS On Demand exclusively from 2.30am Tuesday EDT.
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