Nelly defended his decision to perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration Monday while speaking to HuffPost’s Phillip Lewis, saying: “He’s the president. He won. This isn’t a campaign.”
“This isn’t an RNC. I’m not out on the political campaign. I didn’t get none of that 1.5. You see what I’m saying? I’m not doing this for money,” he later added. “I’m doing this ’cause it’s an honor. I … I respect the office. It don’t matter who is in office.”
Nelly then likened performing for Trump to being in the military. “The same way that our men and women, our brothers and sisters who protect this country, have to go to war and have to put their life on the line for whoever in office,” he said. “So if they can put their life on the line for whoever in office, I can damn sure perform for whoever in office.”
The rapper will join Carrie Underwood, Christopher Macchio, Lee Greenwood, Kid Rock, the Village People, Billy Ray Cyrus, Rascal Flatts, Jason Aldean, Parker McCollum and Gavin McGraw, who are all performing as part of the day.
When asked what he would say to people who have condemned his decision to perform on the grounds that Trump is a white supremacist, Nelly answered, “So nobody’s allowed to change, right? See, here’s the thing. So … we can talk about the past, but we never want to talk about our past.”
“If my past was what was going to prevent me from winning today, I wouldn’t be here. You know what I’m saying?” he added.
