It is no secret that Donald Trump is having trouble finding celebrity performers for his inauguration, but now a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has resigned rather than perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration.
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Member Mormon Tabernacle Choir Quits Rather Than Perform at Trump Inauguration
In a post on her Facebook page, Jan Chamberlin wrote “Looking from the outside in, it will appear that Choir is endorsing tyranny and fascism by singing for this man. I simply cannot continue with the recent turn of events. I could never look myself in the mirror again with self-respect.”
The Morman Tabernacle Choir has performed at many presidential inaugurations in the past, including those of Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W Bush.
In a statement about the choir’s intended show at Trump’s inauguration, a spokesperson for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said this kind of performance “is not an implied support of party affiliations or politics. It is a demonstration of our support for freedom, civility and the peaceful transition of power.”
However, Donald Trump has had a rocky relationship with the Morman community, many Mormons were put off by his vulgarity and calls for religious persecution. Mormons have traditionally been a reliable Republican voting block, however, in 2016 they rejected Trump opting to vote for independent candidate Evan McMullin.
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“I only know I could never ‘throw roses to Hitler.’”
Jan Chamberlin went on to say that in her mind, Donald Trump represents an existential danger. “History is repeating itself; the same tactics are being used by Hitler (identify a problem, finding a scapegoat target to blame, and stirring up people with a combination of fanaticism, false promises, and fear, and gathering the funding),” Chamberlin wrote in her resignation letter. “I only know I could never ‘throw roses to Hitler.’ And I certainly could never sing for him.”
A former member of the choir also publicly expressed his disappointment in the organization’s decision to support Trump’s inauguration. “I expect the church to stand on their moral high ground,” John Bonner told Salt Lake City’s CBS affiliate.
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