Nellie has defended her decision to perform at US President Donald Trump's inaugural ball after facing backlash, saying "it would be an honor for me to perform for the President of the United States, no matter who is in office" .

The in-demand Herre singer is scheduled to perform Monday with country singer Jason Aldean and the Country People at the Liberty Inaugural Ball, one of three official balls marking Trump's return to office. Other artists who have performed at Trump's various inaugurations include Carrie Underwood, Gavin DeGraw and Billy Ray Cyrus , they also received backlash from fans.

Nellie's social media was flooded with criticism, with some noting that his performance on Martin Luther King Jr. Day was new for Trump, who and his supporters issued a series of comments during the presidential campaign. A series of racist comments targeting black people, Latinos and immigrants. .

During a live chat with rapper Willie D on Sunday, Nellie said his agreement to perform at a Trump event was "not about politics" or "trying to tell anyone who to vote for."

"This is not me telling you, 'Yo, you should vote for this candidate.'" I think you should do your homework and figure out what's best for you and the people you love and the people you support, because when things I didn’t know a lot about it when it actually happened,” he said.

"But what I will say is, I respect this office. This is not politics. To me, politics is over. (Trump) wins! He's the president. He's the best in the world I would say Commander-in-Chief of the Nation... I would be honored to perform for the President of the United States, no matter who is in office."

Nellie said those who criticized him didn't understand that he performed out of respect for the office of the presidency, adding: "If President Biden asks me to perform, I will perform. If Vice President Kamala Harris Win and ask me to perform and I will perform...I don't know that you ride with me because you think I'm going to ride for who you vote for. I don't know that I have to agree with your political choices if you follow. The way I do it, it shouldn’t even be an argument.”

When asked if he was a Trump supporter, Nellie responded: "I support the president of the United States no matter who is in office. No matter what, I respect this office."

In 2017, Nelly told Page Six that he disapproved of Trump during his first term: "You know the thing about Donald Trump is I like Donald Trump, I like , I just don’t like Donald Trump as my president,” he said at the time. "Man, this is a trip. Before I was president, I was very nice to Donald. Loved his hotels. I'm more or less mad at him because I can't stay in his hotels now. You fuck it up Smashed."

Last week, the Villagers issued a statement anticipating criticism for their upcoming performances at several inaugural events. Their song "YMCA" was a staple at Trump campaign rallies.

"We know this won't make some of you happy, but we believe music should be performed without regard to politics," the band wrote on Facebook. "Our song 'YMCA' is a global anthem for hope. can help unite the country amid a chaotic and divisive campaign in which our preferred candidates have failed. So we thought now is the time to use music to bring the country together, and that's why Village People will. On Donald J. Trump 2025 Performed at various inauguration events throughout the year.”

Over the weekend, Rick Ross, Soulja Boy and Snoop Dogg also faced criticism after performing at the Crypto Ball in Washington, D.C., with organizers describing the event as "a celebration designed to commemorate... the first 'crypto president' of the United States." event.” The 1,500 attendees reportedly paid more than $2,500 and received “Make Bitcoin Great Again” red baseball caps. Snoop Dogg has previously called Trump supporters "stupid bastards."