This A-List Singer Wants To Troll Trump At His Own Inauguration (TWEET, VIDEO)

It’s no secret that Donald Trump is having a hard time attracting A-list performers for his inauguration. Well, it turns out he may be about to get one–provided that he agrees to her terms. If he does, he’s setting himself up to be trolled–bigly.

On Tuesday, British singer Rebecca Ferguson told her Twitter fans that she has been invited to travel to Washington and perform at Trump’s January 20 inauguration.

Via a TwitLonger message, she revealed more details. She has agreed to perform as long as Trump’s team allows her to sing “Strange Fruit,” a protest song about racism in the South, particularly the lynchings that were rampant during the 1930s. The song was made famous by Billie Holiday in 1939. Watch her perform it here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ZyuULy9zs

The song’s imagery initially scared off Holiday’s producers at Columbia Records, who feared it wouldn’t get any radio play. She was forced to record it on independent label Commodore Records. As it turned out, it was banned from radio airplay in much of the country, particularly the South.

Nonetheless, “Strange Fruit” was very personal for Holiday. Her father died after being denied treatment for a lung disorder in 1937–a product of being gassed in World War I. By the time he was able to get treatment in a black-only ward of a VA hospital, it had turned into pneumonia. Due to this, “Strange Fruit” remained a staple of Holiday’s repertoire until her death in 1939.

Ferguson was well aware of the song’s history. She says that it “speaks to all of the disregarded and down trodden black people in the United States.” Its message is particularly relevant given the numerous dog whistles blown by the Donald on the campaign trail, as well as the disturbing number of hate incidents that have taken place since Trump’s upset victory. Ferguson apparently wants to remind Trump–and the world–of the hate that was unleashed by his campaign.

At least one Trump fan seems to have already been suckered.

https://twitter.com/jake_conran/status/815975134645387264

Um, Jake? Ferguson is one of those “left wing loons.”

There’s no word as of yet whether Trump has agreed to Ferguson’s terms. But if he does, the looks on the faces of Trump, Mike Pence, and their families when Ferguson sings this song will be well worth the price of admission.

(featured image courtesy Andrea Tarella, available under a Creative Commons-BY license)

Darrell is a 30-something graduate of the University of North Carolina who considers himself a journalist of the old school. An attempt to turn him into a member of the religious right in college only succeeded in turning him into the religious right's worst nightmare--a charismatic Christian who is an unapologetic liberal. His desire to stand up for those who have been scared into silence only increased when he survived an abusive three-year marriage. You may know him on Daily Kos as Christian Dem in NC. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook. Click here to buy Darrell a Mello Yello.