Carrie Underwood delivered a stunning a cappella rendition of “America The Beautiful” inside the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. during President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, January 20.
Carrie Underwood Performs A Cappella Rendition Of “America The Beautiful” At Inauguration
The American Idol judge proved that the show must go on after facing technical difficulties just seconds before her performance that caused a brief delay and prompted the country superstar to just sing the patriotic tune without an instrumental.
After being alerted of the issue, Carrie Underwood told the inauguration producer that she “could just sing it” without an instrumental. She then went on to perform the song a cappella alongside the Armed Forces Choir.
“If you know the words, help me out here,” Underwood, 41, told the star-studded crowd full of politicians and celebrity guests that included folks like the newly sworn-in President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance, former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as well as Barack Obama, George W. Bush. Bill and Hillary Clinton, Mike Pence, Dan Quayle, and all nine Supreme Court justices. Elon Musk, Shou Zi Chew, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and other high-profile guests were also in attendance in the limited audience.
Carrie Underwood then allowed her powerhouse vocals to shine with a historic performance of “America The Beautiful” without any accompanied instrumental, a performance that will certainly go down in history as one of the best of the patriotic track. She had the entire Capitol Rotunda singing along in sync, making for a truly special performance.
Underwood Speaks Out On Decision To Perform At Trump’s Inauguration
It was revealed that Carrie Underwood was set to perform “America The Beautiful” on January 13, when a Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee spokesperson confirmed the news. Hours after the announcement, the “Cry Pretty” singer explained her decision to perform at the Presidential Inauguration.
“I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event,” Underwood shared in a statement at the time. “I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”
This decision marks Underwood’s first involvement in politics. Underwood has kept her political views private for many years, and has been vocal about avoiding politics at all costs in interviews. “I try to stay far out of politics if possible, at least in public, because nobody wins,” she previously told The Guardian in 2019 during an interview. “It’s crazy. Everybody tries to sum everything up and put a bow on it, like it’s black and white. And it’s not like that.”
In addition to Carrie Underwood, several other superstars were a part of President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration festivities, including Jason Aldean, Lee Greenwood, Kid Rock, Nelly, Christopher Macchio, Parker McCollum, Billy Ray Cyrus, Rascal Flatts and more.
Carrie Underwood Preparing For American Idol
The eight-time GRAMMY Award winner is set to return to American Idol as a judge, 20 years after winning Season 4 in 2005. Carrie Underwood will join fellow Idol judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, as well as the singing competition show’s longtime host, Ryan Seacrest. The 41-year-old country superstar is replacing Katy Perry as a judge on American Idol after Perry announced she was leaving the show after seven seasons in August of 2024.
“I went from nobody knowing my name to tens of millions of people watching the show… I’m proud of everything that I was able to accomplish on the show, and I’m so proud of everything that I’ve accomplished since,” Underwood shared at the time in a social media post.

Season 23 of American Idol, featuring the “Before He Cheats” singer as a judge, kicks off on Sunday, March 9 with a two-hour premiere that will air on the ABC Network.
Additionally, Carrie Underwood has a handful of shows on the books for the Spring of 2025, including her visually stunning Las Vegas Residency, REFLECTION.