Kanye West will not make a surprise appearance at Donald Trump’s inauguration, it has been revealed.
Tom Barrack, the chair of Trump’s inaugural committee, said it was ‘not the venue’ for the Gold Digger musician to perform at.
It was rumored Trump might call on his ‘friend’ to perform, as he has struggled to book established musicians to perform at his ceremony. Among those to have been confirmed include 16-year-old America’s Got Talent singer Jackie Evancho and country star Toby Keith.
Barrack, a long-time friend of Trump, said last night: ‘We haven’t asked him [Kanye West].
‘He considers himself a friend of the President-Elect, but it’s not the venue.’
Speaking to CNN’s Erin Burnett, he added: ‘The venue we have for entertainment is filled out, it’s perfect, it’s going to be typically and traditionally American, and Kanye is a great guy but we just haven’t asked him to perform. We move on with our agenda.’
The rapper and the businessman met in Trump Tower last month, with Trump telling reporters they spoke about ‘life’.
When asked what they discussed, Trump replied: ‘Just friends, just friends. He’s a good man.’
West – who announced his support for Trump at a recent concert – later revealed they had talked about multicultural issues, bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago.
He said: ‘I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change.
Finally he tweeted: ‘#2024’, hinting he might also run for the White House in the future.
Trump is optimistic his inauguration on Friday will attract large crowds and has shrugged off an onslaught of Democrats and celebrities who have vowed to boycott it.
A quarter of a million tickets have been allotted for the event and there is space for another 500,000 people to stand behind the ticketed area.
Nineteen Democratic lawmakers have publicly promised not to attend, their protest fueled by a recent row between the Republican and civil rights campaigner John Lewis who said Trump would not be a ‘legitimate’ leader.
Trump has also struggled to book established musicians to perform.
Opera star Andrea Bocelli backed out of singing at the inauguration after receiving death threats.
