Nelly Defends Decision to Perform at Trump’s Inaugural Ball Amid Backlash

Nelly is standing firm in the face of widespread criticism over his decision to perform at one of President-elect Donald Trump’s official inaugural balls.

The rapper has received a lot of backlash since the announcement ahead of his Monday performance in Washington, D.C. However, Nelly insists his performance is not about politics but about respecting the office of the presidency.

During an interview with Willie D, Nelly addressed the fallout saying this wasn’t about making a political statement. He says he didn’t know he had to agree with Trump’s political views to be able to perform for him at during his official swearing in.

Nelly continued during the interview saying, “He’s the president. He won. That’s why I’m not telling you who to vote for. He’s the president of the United States, not the candidate for the United States.”

He continued … “I respect the office. It don’t matter who is in office. If they can put their life on the line for whoever is in office, I can damn sure perform for whoever is in office.”

Many have accused the rapper of taking the gig simply for a paycheck, a claim Nelly quickly refuted. “I’m not doing this for money. I’m doing this because it’s an honor … That’s what this is about.”

Back in 2020, we got Nelly and Cedric the Entertainer out, and we got a pretty good idea of their views on Trump. Seems Nelly hasn’t changed his political stance much since then, letting out a big laugh when Cedric yells “f*** Trump!”