“Why not ask Ted Nugent?” he said of the far-right musician, adding an expletive. John told The Guardian in early 2016 regarding the use of his music at Trump rallies. “I’m not a Republican in a million years,” Mr. Trump’s election victory, his administration aggressively moved to strip away the rights of people in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. “He’s already doing it.” The warning was prescient: After Mr. John told the news site Mic in the summer of 2016. Trump’s Democratic rival for the presidency, said that he had “fear for the world” if Mr. John, who played at a fund-raiser for Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump grew more involved in politics, the singer he was so personally fond of began to publicly declare his support for Democrats. Trump wrote in a blog post, which has since been taken off-line.īut as Mr. Trump offered public congratulations: “If two people dig each other, they dig each other. John wed his longtime partner, David Furnish, in a civil ceremony, Mr. The two men enjoyed friendlier relations before the Trump presidency: Mr. John was “definitely never an effort because we knew he wouldn’t,” she said. The Trump White House never welcomed Britain to the White House, and such an invitation to Mr. John to play such a dinner, according to Stephanie Grisham, a former Trump press secretary. I love America deeply, a country that has always welcomed me and my music with kind, tolerant and open arms.” “I also want to wish you every success with your presidency. “I was honoured to perform at a White House State Dinner for the UK during the Clinton presidency and I would be delighted to do the same for you if the opportunity arises,” Mr. Trump politely declining the gig but suggested that he might play a state dinner sometime. John’s longtime publicist, wrote in an email to The New York Times. He will NOT be performing,” Fran Curtis, Mr. John would play his inauguration, a claim that was quickly squashed. Trump, who personally oversaw the rally music playlists, eventually ordered “Tiny Dancer” and “Rocket Man” back into the mix. The former official said that the music was briefly pulled but that Mr. John was so displeased with the use of his songs at Trump rallies that campaign officials received a cease-and-desist request. John has been slightly more volatile.įor starters, a former Trump campaign official said that Mr. Biden’s relationship to the music has been poignant, the relationship between the former president and Mr. In an email, a White House official helpfully pointed out that more than two dozen entertainers, ranging from the Jonas Brothers to Andrea Bocelli, have performed at White House events since the beginning of the Biden presidency. In fact, mainstream celebrities are returning to the White House after years of avoiding the area. Biden has managed to pull off an A-list invitation that his predecessor had sought but never accomplished. (And, they wonder, does everything have to be about Trump?) They say that the singer was simply interested in performing at the White House. Biden’s predecessor really, really likes Elton John. Given that the White House was trying to spotlight a variety of causes taken up by the Biden administration, several people involved with the planning insist that nothing about the event had anything to do with the fact that Mr. John told the president, with tears in his eyes. “I’m never flabbergasted but I’m flabbergasted,” Mr. John finished playing a set that included “Tiny Dancer” and “Rocket Man,” the president announced that he would award the singer the National Humanities Medal, which is meant to honor people or groups whose work deepens American access to cultural experiences in fields including the performing arts. John is on a lengthy farewell tour in the United States, and his appearance was part of a larger celebration that was meant to honor people whom the White House called “everyday history makers”: teachers, nurses, emergency and mental health workers, students and activists.Īfter Mr. John said as he sat at his piano, during a set that lasted about 45 minutes. “I just wish America could be more bipartisan,” Mr. John, a superstar and longtime activist, played at the White House on Friday as a guest of President Biden and Jill Biden, the first lady, years after sidestepping Mr. Which is why it was so interesting that Mr. The singer’s crowd sizes were both a presidential fixation and an aspiration. John’s 1972 album, “Honky Château,” became a diplomatic gift for North Korea’s dictator. The songs “Tiny Dancer” and “Rocket Man” were pumped into the background of his political rallies at earsplitting decibels. WASHINGTON - For anyone who was listening, Elton John’s music was the unofficial soundtrack to Donald J.
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