Kanye West won’t be rounding out Donald Trump’s inauguration lineup. The president-elect’s inauguration committee chose not to invite the “Famous” rapper to perform at the festivities despite his friendship with the business mogul.
“We haven’t asked him,” the chair of the inauguration committee, Tom Barrack, told CNN of rumors of a surprise West cameo. “He considers himself a friend of the president-elect, but it’s not the venue. The venue we have for entertainment is filled out, it’s perfect, it’s going to be typically and traditionally American, and Kanye is a great guy, but we just haven’t asked him to perform.”
Instead, Toby Keith, 3 Doors Down, the Piano Guys, soul singer Sam Moore, gospel singer Travis Greene and Chrisette Michele will all take the stage at the “Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration” concert on Thursday, January 19.
Last month, West, 39, jetted to NYC after his breakdown and nine-day hospitalization to meet with the ex–Apprentice host at Trump Tower on December 13. After their 15-minute sit-down, the duo posed for photos together in the lobby. “We’ve been friends for a long time,” Trump, 70, said.
The Yeezy fashion designer later tweeted that they chatted about several topics. “I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues,” he wrote in a series of tweets. “These issues included bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago. I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change.”
He previously revealed during a San Jose, California, concert that he didn’t cast a ballot in the presidential election, but if he had, he would have voted for Trump.
