Biden Inauguration Day to Be Packed with Celebrities While Public Is Kept at a Distance
When President-elect Joe Biden takes the oath of office Wednesday, Hollywood will be with him.
Average people? Not so much.
Biden’s Presidential Inauguration Committee on Thursday announced that Lady Gaga will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the ceremony at the Capitol.
The committee also said Jennifer Lopez will perform during the inauguration. It did not reveal what she will sing.
The ceremony will also include an invocation from the Rev. Leo J. O’Donovan, a Jesuit priest and past president of Georgetown University.
Andrea Hall, the first black female fire captain in Fulton County, Georgia, will lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate, will present a poetry reading.
The Rev. Silvester Beaman, pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Wilmington, Delaware, will present the benediction.
“We are thrilled to announce an inspired group of dynamic participants for the 59th Inaugural Ceremonies,” Tony Allen, the chairman of the committee, said in a statement.
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“They represent one clear picture of the grand diversity of our great nation and will help honor and celebrate the time-honored traditions of the presidential inauguration as President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris take the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol,” Allen said.
Those taking part in the ceremony “are also committed to the President-elect and the Vice-President-elect’s steadfast vision of a new chapter in our American story in which we are an America united in overcoming the deep divisions and challenges facing our people, unifying the country, and restoring the soul of our nation,” he said.
The news release announcing the lineup noted that “during the Obama-Biden Administration,” Lady Gaga “worked closely with President-elect Biden’s ‘It’s On Us’ campaign to address sexual assault on college campuses.”
The last time @ladygaga sang the National Anthem was exactly five years ago during Obama’s administration. She was introduced as an Academy Award nominee and 6-time Grammy winner. Today, she’s an Academy Award winner and an 11-time Grammy winner. pic.twitter.com/rKN7jyg9El
— ⚔️ GAGA DAILY ⚔️ (@gagadaily) January 14, 2021
“Lopez and her partner Alex Rodriguez have been outspoken about the disproportionate impact of coronavirus on Latinos and the need to contain the virus, rebuild the economy, and unify the country,” the release said.
Although the inauguration usually draws a huge crowd to Washington, this year will be different.
What Washington _ a city where a lot of real people live and work and raise kids _ looks like right now. https://t.co/njA4ueU12b
— Julie Pace (@jpaceDC) January 14, 2021
The National Mall will be closed, according to The Washington Post, ensuring that few people not among the lawmakers and guests invited to the event at the Capitol — and the National Guard troops providing protection — can see it in person.
The event also has been reconfigured due to COVID-19, with the traditional inaugural parade to be replaced by a virtual parade.
The committee also announced that a concert will take place Wednesday evening featuring Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, Ant Clemons and Jon Bon Jovi.
The show, to be carried live by ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and MSNBC, also will feature remarks from Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
STFU You DUMB, ignorant, uneducated moron! #KAG Jennifer Lopez Condemns ‘Walls’ and ‘Cages’ in Deleted Post-Super Bowl Rant https://t.co/leAktA3HW9
— Mile Lannan (@LannanMile) February 5, 2020
Lopez took part in the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show, which featured children in cage-like structures in what appeared to be a jab at the Trump administration’s family separation policies along America’s southern border.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
