Unsurprisingly, Trump’s got his own agenda in attending.
On Monday night, Donald Trump is expected to sit through a performance by Kendrick Lamar — renowned hip-hop star and Black Lives Matter advocate. Trump will be attending the College Football Playoff National Championship matchup in Atlanta where Lamar has been scheduled to perform during halftime.
Trump hasn’t voiced his opinion on Lamar explicitly, but given the political affiliations of the two, alongside the fact that Lamar was a noted favorite of Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, it’s a safe bet that the current president isn’t a fan of Lamar’s work.
Lamar, on the other hand, has been anything but elusive as to his feelings on Trump. In 2017’s “The Heart Part 4,” Lamar offers this assessment of the president:
Donald Trump is a chump
Know how we feel, punk? Tell 'em that God comin'
And Russia need a replay button, y'all up to somethin'
Electorial votes look like memorial votes
But America's truth ain't ignorin' the votes
The real reason for Trump’s attendance was shared by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who described the two opponents in the game, the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama, as "two great teams from two great states, both in the heart of Trump country."
Reasons for attendance aside, a Kendrick Lamar performance with Donald Trump in the audience on such a public stage, serves as a public powder keg. There’s little doubt that those behind the game are hoping for a “uneventful” performance, but if they chose Lamar to perform, they shouldn’t expect such an outcome.