Everything Carrie Underwood Has Said About Her Politics

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Considering how intense the reaction was to Donald Trump's first inauguration back in 2017, and how defiant he was in the face of defeat in 2020, it's shocking that he got anyone to perform for his 2025 inauguration. However, the list of performers for the event is full of surprises, from The Village People, to Rascal Flatts, to Billy Ray Cyrus, to the most surprising of all — Carrie Underwood. With the blonde bombshell about to belt out "America the Beautiful," many of her fans are turning their heels and running from her. 

Underwood, who is notoriously shady about discussing her personal politics, seemed overjoyed at the opportunity, telling CNN, "I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration ... 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." It's this bit about "unity" that seems to have rubbed many fans the wrong way, with several taking to social media to air their grievances. The Carrie Underwood UK account on X posted after the announcement, "While I will always love and support [Underwood], this account will not be covering her upcoming appearance at Donald Trump's inauguration nor any other comments/appearances she makes in support of this convicted felon." However, what Underwood herself has said about her personal beliefs is still a general gray area.

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After rocketing to fame post "American Idol," Carrie Underwood kept many things under wraps. There were many sad details of Underwood's life that she didn't feel compelled to share until she hit a specific point of her career. However, after the release of her album "Cry Pretty" in 2018, the country music star was ready to be a bit more vulnerable. But what she meant to be an honest display of emotion often got contorted into a political discussion. When her single "The Bullet" came out for the same album, it whipped up a frenzy.

"I try to stay far out of politics if possible, at least in public, because nobody wins," Underwood told The Guardian at the time. "Everybody tries to sum everything up and put a bow on it, like it's black and white. And it's not like that." Exasperated at having both sides of the aisle seeming to come at her, the singer was quick to point out that larger issues like gun control are exactly that — larger issues. Continuing, she said, "[The song] was more about the lives that were changed by something terrible happening. And it does kind of bug me when people take a song, or take something I said and try to pigeonhole or force me to pick a side or something." It seems Underwood is constantly aiming for the middle on most subjects, but in an often polarizing world, it can be hard to nail the landing.

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When Carrie Underwood released the song "Love Wins" during Donald Trump's first Presidency, many fans in the LGBTQ+ community saw it as a signal that she was on their side. With personal lyrics like, "Politics and prejudice/How the h*ll'd it ever come to this?" Many felt she was making a point about leaving politics out of the discussion and bringing the focus back to personal relationships over all. However, with Trump's second presidency already casting aggressive side-eye towards several marginalized communities, artists that aim for the middle to appease the masses might see some of their fans stripping away.

As much as Underwood and her lyrics want to uphold a feeling of unity, many fans are feeling abandoned by her actions. With her inauguration performance looming, Underwood is still trying to do damage control. Even though she kept mum during the 2024 election, she did tell Rolling Stone in 2016, "I don't want people to vote for somebody because I told them to." Then again, that was back when she was willing to joke about politics. Back in 2017 she performed a parody version of the song many fans want her to sing instead of "America The Beautiful." When she sang "Before He Cheats" at the Country Music Association Awards, she replaced the lyrics with "before he tweets." It seems like she really is trying to appeal to both sides.