A post on X asking whether Carrie Underwood should take the stage at America's 250th anniversary celebrations has struck a nerve online. The post asked followers to "raise your hand" if they believed Underwood should perform at the nation's semiquincentennial festivities.
As of publication, the Trump-backed concert series tied to those celebrations was falling apart, with multiple artists withdrawing from the lineup.
The Commodores, Martina McBride, Morris Day and the Time, Poison frontman Bret Michaels, and rapper Young MC have all been distancing themselves from performances scheduled for the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The events are part of the "Great American State Fair," organized by Freedom 250, which will run on the National Mall between June 25 and July 10, according to CNN. Many of the artists who opted out said they were misled about the event's political associations. McBride wrote on Instagram that she "was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event, but that [was] misleading."
Raise your hand if you think Country Singer Carrie Underwood should perform at America’s 250th pic.twitter.com/MYHLPxAtEo
— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) May 31, 2026
The Trump administration established Freedom 250 as a public-private partnership to fund and plan events for the semiquincentennial. Freedom 250 was separate from America250, the nonprofit supporting the nonpartisan U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission. The latter, according to NBC News, was established by an act of Congress a decade ago and is led by a bipartisan group of lawmakers and citizens.
With the lineup undecided, President Donald Trump suggested on Truth Social that musical performances be canceled. He wrote, "We should have a giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY, for 250, instead of having overpriced singers, who nobody wants to hear, whose music is boring, and yet who do nothing but complain."
In that context, Underwood's fans have brought up her name now. Why? Underwood sang "America the Beautiful" at Trump's January 2025 inauguration, saying at the time she was "honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event."
The decision caught American Idol producers off guard; they feared it could lead to a ratings backlash.
‘American Idol’ showrunner defends Carrie Underwood’s Trump inauguration performance: ‘That was her decision’ https://t.co/cdJMFNV5oQ pic.twitter.com/PC44GyPFMM
— New York Post (@nypost) March 11, 2025
Then, during Season 24's Hollywood Week, Underwood said on X that she was "booed A LOT" by the live audience. In response, she wrote: "Boo me. I don't care." Despite the controversy, ABC confirmed that Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie have all signed to return for Season 24, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Underwood has largely been quiet about Trump since then.
As of publication, no performers had been confirmed for the nonpartisan America250 events scheduled across Philadelphia, Boston, New York and Washington, D.C., on July 4, 2026.
