Donald Trump Called Aretha Franklin A Friend, She Reportedly Hated Him And Refused To Sing At His Inauguration
Donald Trump — on a number of occasions — referred to Aretha Franklin as a “friend,” but the legendary singer reportedly didn’t see it the same way.
On Thursday, the president paid respects to the so-called “Queen of Soul”, who passed away today after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Though Trump had made a number of references to her as a friend, The Daily Beast spoke to sources close to Franklin who said she despised his political rise and spurned his attempts to get her to perform at his 2017 inauguration.
As the report noted, Franklin remained publicly guarded about her personal views about Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign, even as she was in talks to perform at campaign events for Hillary Clinton. Franklin was unable to schedule the events, but did attend some proceedings put off by the Democratic National Convention, sitting in a private box of DNC CEO Leah Daughtry.
“We would have loved for Ms. Franklin to perform at the 2016 Convention,” Daughtry told The Daily Beast in an email. “After all, she’d performed at the 1992 Convention that nominated Bill Clinton and at both of his inaugurals. However, Ms. Franklin indicated that she simply wanted to enjoy the historic moment of Secretary Clinton’s nomination, particularly given her close and long-standing relationship with the Clintons.”
Franklin’s open support of Hillary Clinton didn’t stop Donald Trump from trying to get her to perform at his inauguration. Trump asked the chairman of his inauguration committee, Tom Barrack, to try to convince Franklin to perform — but she wouldn’t even consider it. A source close to the singer told The Daily Beast that “no amount of money” could have gotten her to perform at the event.
The animosity Aretha Franklin felt toward Donald Trump may have never registered with the president, who referred to her as a friend and noted that she had performed at Trump properties on a number of occasions.
“I want to begin today by expressing my condolences to the family of a person I knew well. She worked for me on numerous occasions,” Trump said to a press pool on Thursday, via People magazine. “She was terrific — Aretha Franklin — on her passing. She brought joy to millions of lives and her extraordinary legacy will thrive and inspire many generations to come. She was given a great gift from God — her voice, and she used it well. People loved Aretha. She was a special woman. So just want to pass on my warmest best wishes and sympathies to her family.”
Aretha Franklin frequently bashed Trump, according to The Daily Beast, and one source says that after Trump won the election, she confided to associates that "no amount of money" could convince her to perform at his inauguration. https://t.co/jPZrnR1XKc
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 17, 2018
That remark earned Trump quite a bit of blowback, as many took umbrage to Trump using her death as an opportunity to point out that she “worked for me.”
OBAMAS ON ARETHA: "Graced with a glimpse of the divine."
CLINTONS ON ARETHA: "One of America's greatest national treasures."
TRUMP ON ARETHA: "She worked for me."#ArethaFranklin
— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) August 16, 2018
When Trump says Aretha "worked for him many times," he says with the arrogance of a slave owner…
— Jeffrey St. Clair (@JSCCounterPunch) August 16, 2018
While she may have despised Donald Trump’s rise in politics, Aretha Franklin shared a much warmer relationship with Barack Obama, performing at his 2009 inauguration.
