Former President Donald Trump invited a children’s choir stopped during a performance of the national anthem at the Capitol to perform at an upcoming rally. Video footage caught the moment a member of the U.S. Capitol Police told a congressional aide to stop the rendition.
The Rushingbrook Children’s Choir was singing the Star-Spangled Anthem in Statuary Hall in the Capitol last month when they were asked to stop singing.
The former president relayed the invitation via video on social media, saying that it was a “serious thing to have an event like that, such a beautiful time in your lives and such an important time in your lives, to be interrupted in such a way.”
“But we are going to have you in South Carolina, and you’re going to sing in a rally for us in front of tens of thousands of people,” Trump said. “And we’re all going to have a great time together.”
The former president said that he and the choir would “pay respect” to the people that love the United States.
“And nobody loves it more than you,” he said.
Rushingbrook Children's Choir were singing the National Anthem in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol when they were interrupted by Capitol police.
A representative from the choir was told that "certain Capitol police said it might offend someone/cause issues." pic.twitter.com/3J8BSBsBSu
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) June 2, 2023
The group’s director, David Rasbach, has already accepted the invitation, calling it an “honor.”
The controversy over the performance gained attention after a series of tweets showed the performance being stopped and its aftermath.
The students were at the Capitol at the invitation of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and were welcomed by a number of Republican members of the South Carolina House delegation.
In a statement by the Republican representatives, they wrote that the choir was invited “to joyfully express their love of this Nation while visiting the Capitol, and we are all very disappointed to learn their celebration was cut short.”
The students were invited for another visit by Rep. William Timmons (R-SC).
The South Carolina Republican added that he will introduce a bill to allow the singing of the national anthem on federal property, saying that “love for one’s country should be celebrated.”
Musical performances are currently barred at the Capitol.
