Meet Christopher Macchio, who sang at Trump’s inauguration: the opera tenor, who’s long known the president, was invited to sing the national anthem, an honour previously given to Beyoncé and Lady Gaga

Jan 22 , 2025

Meet opera tenor Christopher Macchio, who sang the national anthem at Trump’s inauguration, following in the footsteps of Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. Photo: Reuters

Macchio first crossed paths with Trump nearly 10 years ago when he sang at a New Year’s Eve event at Mar-a-Lago; he has since performed at Trump rallies and two Republican National Conventions

On Monday, opera tenor Christopher Macchio sang the national anthem at President Donald Trump’s inauguration before a much smaller crowd than he was expecting, a letdown with a silver lining.

The ceremony had been moved indoors because temperatures were set to plummet, making it the coldest Inauguration Day in 40 years. The Capitol Rotunda holds only 600 people, while more than 250,000 guests were ticketed to view the inauguration from around the Capitol grounds.

Christopher Macchio performs the national anthem at the 60th presidential inauguration in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington DC, on January 20. Photo: AP

“I was looking forward to seeing 100,000 people spread across the National Mall,” Macchio, 46, said in an interview two days before he took the stage. “Unfortunately I won’t be getting that visual while I perform, but it’s still going to be such a tremendous honour.”

In fact, he said, “from a musical and vocal perspective, it’s actually a good thing” and that the performance will remain largely the same. Extreme weather conditions are unhealthy and uncomfortable for vocalists.

Christopher Macchio has been in President Donald Trump’s orbit for the better part of a decade. Photo: AP

Macchio first entered Trump’s orbit about nine years ago when he was asked to fill in last minute at a New Year’s Eve celebration at Mar-a-Lago. He was such a hit that night that Rod Stewart, who was at the gala, asked Macchio to perform at his 70th birthday party. In August 2020, Macchio sang at a White House memorial service honouring Trump’s brother Robert, and at the Republican National Convention.

Last year, the singer performed at the Republican National Convention in July; at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in October, a few months after an assassination attempt at that site; and during his Madison Square Garden rally close to the election. It was after the Butler rally that Trump said to Macchio: “I’ll be seeing you at the inauguration.”

“He didn’t really specify what that meant,” Macchio told the media. But a few weeks later, Macchio got the call from a Trump staffer saying that the tenor was the “first and only choice” to perform the national anthem.

Donald and Melania Trump listen to opera singer Christopher Macchio at a campaign rally in October 2024, at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Photo: AP