Don’t expect rapper Kanye West to make a surprise appearance at President-elect Trump’s inauguration festivities this week.
Tom Barrack, chair of Trump’s Presidential Inaugural Committee, on Monday said “Yeezy” has not been asked to perform in Washington, D.C., despite his friendship with the incoming Republican leader.
“We haven’t asked him,” Barrack told Erin Burnett, host of CNN’s “OutFront.”
“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. We move on with our agenda.”
West and Trump met at Trump Tower in Manhattan last month. The billionaire businessman said the two have “been friends for a long time.”
Last week, fellow hip-hop performer R. Kelly denied rumors he would be attending the inauguration.
Toby Keith and Three Doors Down will take the stage at an inauguration concert in Washington on Thursday afternoon.
Boris Epshteyn, spokeswoman for the inaugural committee, said the group’s objective was never to get so-called A-list guests.
“This is not Woodstock,” Epshteyn said last month. “It’s not summer jam. It’s not a concert.”
While some celebrities have promised to boycott the inauguration, more than two dozen Democratic lawmakers are following suit. Barrack told CNN he was “disappointed” in the move, but saw a good and bad side to it.
“Of course I’m disappointed because I think adults should play well in the sandbox,” he said.
“This is the President of the United States. This is not a joke. And it’s not a political event. It’s a tribute to America. I wish all of them would get off of it and grow up and support the President that they have.”
“On the other hand, I love it. Because only in America could you do this. Only in American could a group of congressmen … say, ‘I’m not going to go because I don’t like your policies,'” Barrack finished.
