Insiders: Trump Team Dangled Ambassadorships to Lure A-List Inauguration Singers (Exclusive) [View all]

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Insiders: Trump Team Dangled Ambassadorships to Lure A-List Inauguration Singers (Exclusive)
“My first thought was, ‘Are you joking?’ But no, it was serious”
Itay Hod | December 14, 2016 @ 11:10 AM


President-elect Donald Trump’s team is struggling so hard to book A-list performers for his inaugural festivities that it offered ambassadorships to at least two talent bookers if they could deliver marquee names, the bookers told TheWrap.

The bookers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they were approached by members of Trump’s Presidential Inaugural Committee in recent weeks with offers of cash or even plush diplomatic posts in exchange for locking in singers.

The first insider said he was “shocked” at the proposal: “Never in a million years have I heard something so crazy,” he said. “That was the moment I almost dropped the phone.”

Trump’s team has struggled to find talent outside of the low-wattage stars who endorsed him during the campaign. A meeting between Trump and Kanye West spurred speculation Tuesday that the the troubled rapper might perform. On Wednesday, news broke that Trump’s team had managed to enlist 16-year-old former “America’s Got Talent” star Jackie Evancho.

In a statement to TheWrap, Trump’s team denied offering any ambassadorships. “There is no truth to this insinuation,” said committee spokesman Boris Epshteyn. “First-class entertainers are eager to participate in the inaugural events. The inauguration as a whole will be an exciting and uniting celebration of freedom and democracy. We will be releasing further details at the appropriate time.”

But according to the insider, there was no ambiguity about the ambassadorship offer. “My first thought was, ‘Are you joking?'” he said. “But no, it was serious.”

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http://www.thewrap.com/insiders-trump-team-dangles-ambassadorships-to-lure-a-list-inauguration-singers-exclusive/

http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/12/trumps-team-offered-ambassadorships-for-inauguration-talent.html
Trump’s Team Reportedly Offered Ambassadorships to Talent Bookers in Exchange for Inauguration Singers