Tag: King

Madonna posted a poignant message honoring Martin Luther King Jr. on the national holiday in his honor Monday, concurring with as President Donald Trump being sworn in for the second time in Washington, D.C.

The 66-year-old pop superstar took to Instagram with a series of images of King and text splayed across a clip of the 1963 March on Washington, expressing her resigned sentiments on the day.

‘I prefer to focus on what we have to be grateful for,’ said the Grammy-winning singer, whose full name is Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone. ‘Great leaders like Martin Luther King. Fearless Leaders that Truly fought for Love.

In a possible allusion to Trump, Madonna said that King did not stand for ‘separation or degradation or Violent threats of any kind to any people.’

The artist of hits including Vogue, Material Girl and Papa Don’t Preach wrapped up in saying, ‘Happy birthday M.L.K.!! We celebrate you and all that is good. It’s no coincidence that you birthday is on inauguration day.’

‘You are indeed, a King [and] a reminder that theme is still hope. Hope that with our collective Unified consciousness, we will have the merit to have great leaders like you in the future.

Madonna, 66, posted a poignant message honoring Martin Luther King Jr. on the national holiday in his honor Monday, concurring with as President Donald Trump being sworn in for the second time in Washington, D.C. Pictured in LA in 2023 

The pop superstar took to Instagram with a series of images of King, and text splayed across a clip of people marching, expressing her resigned sentiments on the day 

The pop icon took to the social media platform as Trump was sworn in as 47th president, immediately inking executive orders overturning Biden administration mandates on issues including industrial regulations; DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) statutes; environmental policies; and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Madonna has been outspoken about her distaste for Trump in the past on numerous occasions.

After his defeat of former Vice President Kamala Harris in November, Madonna said on the social media site: ‘Trying to get my head around why a convicted felon, rapist, bigot was chosen to lead our country because he’s good for the economy?’

She subsequently shared an image of a cake that was inscribed with the message, ‘F*** Trump,’ noting, ‘Stuffed my face with this cake last night!’

The musical mainstay spoke out as Trump drew many higher-profile entertainers to his side as his second term kicked off, as entertainers such as Carrie Underwood, Nelly, Snoop Dogg and The Village People were involved in inaugural events.

Eight years ago, Trump reportedly struggled to enlist stars to be part of the swearing-in and the various glitzy balls that followed as the entertainers to take the stage included America’s Got Talent alum Jackie Evancho, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Rockettes.

In 2017, the concurrent protest marches around the nation had more famous entertainers than the swearing-in, which stood in stark contrast to someone like Barack Obama, whose second inaugural ceremony had performances from Beyoncé, James Taylor and Kelly Clarkson and a series of starry onlookers.

There were always some celebrity Trump supporters, like Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan, Jon Voight, Rosanne Barr, Mike Tyson, Sylvester Stallone and Dennis Rodman, to name a few. But Trump´s victory this time around was decisive and while Hollywood may always skew largely liberal, the slate of names participating in his inauguration weekend events has improved.

The Grammy-winning singer, whose full name is Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, said she   preferred ‘to focus on what we have to be grateful for,’ citing King and his legacy 

Madonna wrapped up in saying, ‘Happy birthday M.L.K.!! We celebrate you and all that is good. King pictured in 1957  

Trump takes the oath of office as his wife Melania and his children look on during inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C. 

Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, The Village People and Lee Greenwood all performed at a MAGA style rally Sunday. Those performing at inaugural balls include the rapper Nelly, country music band Rascal Flatts, country singer Jason Aldean and singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw.

Even some who have publicly criticized Trump in the past seem to have changed course: One of the highest-profile examples is the rapper Snoop Dogg, who in a 2017 music video pretended to shoot a Trump lookalike, and then this weekend performed at a pre-Inaugural event called The Crypto Ball. 

When a social media user posted a video of his performance, his name quickly became a trending topic on social media with a fair amount of disbelief and outrage.

Where Trump once emphasized the otherness of a Hollywood that largely shunned him, he´s now turned his attention back to the entertainment capital as a project to be saved. He named Stallone, Voight and Mel Gibson as his chosen ‘ambassadors’ for the mission.

Following the election, celebrity detractors have also been quieter than in 2017, when nationwide marches brought out the likes of Cher, Madonna, Katy Perry, Alicia Keys and Janelle Monae.

The People´s March in D.C. on Saturday did not boast about any celebrity participants. At the Golden Globe Awards in early January, Trump´s name was not mentioned on stage – a stark contrast to 2017, when Meryl Streep used her lifetime achievement award speech to decry the president-elect before his first term began.