Donald Trump is a big celebrity himself, but he's having a hard time finding stars for his inauguration. His team is now planning a "poetic" event - but the brash-styled president-elect still strives for star approval.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Vucci
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Trump's difficult ties with celebrities
Donald Trump is a big celebrity himself, but that doesn't seem to satisfy him: He still strives for star approval like no other head of state. Here are a few examples of his love-hate relation with artists.
After Meryl Streep condemned Trump's mockery of a disabled reporter during his campaign at the Golden Globes, the president-elect tweeted back that she was "one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood" and "a Hillary flunky who lost big." However, in a 2015 "Hollywood Reporter" interview, he rather named the triple-Oscar-winner as one of his favorite actresses, and "a fine person, too."
Image: Reuters/NBC/P. Drinkwater
Kanye West: the friend you want to boycott
The private chat between singer Kanye West and the president-elect at Trump Tower confused many of the rapper's fans. It didn't seem so surreal for Trump: "We've been friends for a long time," he told "Vanity Fair" after their meeting. Yet back in 2009, Trump had called for a boycott of "disgusting" Kanye West after the rapper had interrupted Taylor Swift during MTV's Video Music Awards.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T.A. Clary
Arnold Schwarzenegger: 'low-rated' successor
You'd think that Trump would be beyond that type of competition after being elected US president, but he still took the time to tweet that "Schwarzenegger got 'swamped' (or destroyed)" through bad ratings on "The New Celebrity Apprentice" - compared to his time starring on the original reality TV show. (Oh, and he adds: "But who cares, he supported Kasich & Hillary").
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/L. Trinh
Andrea Bocelli: that's what friends are for
Donald Trump is known to be a huge fan of the Italian tenor and is said to have a long-standing relationship with him. Bocelli was rumored to perform at the inauguration, triggering a boycott movement on social media. The opera singer landed on the long list of stars who officially denied being part of the show - including Elton John, Celine Dion, Kiss and Garth Brooks.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Z. Szigetvary
Alec Baldwin: ready to rock
After many high-profile stars declined to perform for Trump, Alec Baldwin offered to sing AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" for the inauguration of the new US President. It's however unlikely that Trump would accept the offer. He reacted to Baldwin's impersonation of him on "Saturday Night Live" by tweeting: "Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/NBC/W. Heath
Moby: find me a DJ
Apparently, Trump's inaugural team desperately broadened the search for stars, leading to some definitely unfitting choices. Vegan animal-rights activist, singer and DJ Moby reacted to the offer on Instagram with suprise: "Hahahahaha, wait, Hahahaha, really?" - adding that he might consider the gig if Trump released his tax returns.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Lp/Yann Foreix
Jackie Evancho: part of the 'Movement'
The now 16-year-old singer became famous through her appearance on "America's Got Talent" at the age of 10. She is one of the rare celebrities who's officially accepted to perform for Trump's inauguration. Trump tweeted that "her album sales skyrocketed" since she announced that she would, thanks to the "Movement." In reality, sales just slightly increased before Christmas.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Jakwerth
The Radio City Rockettes: among the people
Along with Evancho, the dance troupe founded in 1925 will be headlining the inauguration show, along with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Trump has tried to conceal his disappointment by tweeting: "The so-called 'A' list celebrities are all wanting tixs to the inauguration, but look what they did for Hillary, NOTHING. I want the PEOPLE!" Some performers in both groups are boycotting the event, too.
Image: picture-alliance/Globe-Zuma
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Among the abundant random tweets written by the incoming US President, many of them could have very real political or financial consequences, which is why the media feels required to report on them.
Some of his other rants, such as when he reacted to Meryl Streep's criticism at the Golden Globes, are rather inconsequential, but they are widely covered as well, since they demonstrate how Donald Trump ticks and what's on his mind.
As a narcissist, Trump likes to be seen with stars, and one of the first artists he invited over to Trump Tower after his election was the publicity-obsessed rapper Kanye West, whom he calls "a friend."
However, despite his power and own stardom, not many celebrities are willing to stand by him on Inauguration Day.
'Soft sensuality' for Trump's inauguration
His inaugural team is trying to tone down the fact that barely any high-profile celebrity would dare perform for Trump's inaugural show. Many of them have publicly refused, and now Trump's planning team has decided on a change of strategy.
Tom Barrack, the president-elect's top inauguration planner, said on Tuesday that Trump's inauguration will be have "a much more poetic cadence than having a circus-like celebration," according to news agency AFP. "The cadence of it is going to be 'let me get back to work.'"
"What we've done instead of trying to surround him with what people consider A-listers is, we are going to surround him with the soft sensuality of the place," Barrack added.
The expression made social media users cringe, with memes going around under the hashtag #softsensuality.
In fact, the team has been trying hard enough, but top stars just won't join in.
In some cases, the inauguration planners seem to have been in such a hurry to send out their invitations that they forgot to previously check who they were asking, as Welsh singer Charlotte Church directly pointed out in this tweet:
Trump has tried to conceal his disappointment that the top stars of the world simply do not want to be part of his club:
Such tweets are just another demonstration that these celebrities' boycott is affecting him more than he'd like to admit.
The gallery above shows some of his latest contradictory remarks on stars like Meryl Streep, Kanye West and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
