Elton John's unlikely recurring role in Trump’s presidency

The email was cordial, warm and deferential.

“Thank you so much for the extremely kind invitation to play at your inauguration,” wrote one of Donald Trump’s favourite musicians, Sir Elton John.

“I have given it at lot of thought, and as a British National, I don’t feel that it’s appropriate for me to play at the inauguration of an American president. Please accept my apologies.”

Mr Trump had been hoping Sir Elton would croon him into the presidency. He had gone so far as to tell people it was happening even though the singer had not yet agreed to such a performance.

The organisers of Mr Trump’s inauguration had been struggling to find notable musicians to perform at the festivities, often considered a high honour.

Barack Obama had been able to draw the likes of Aretha Franklin and Beyoncé.

Sir Elton, whom Mr Trump considered something of a friend, joined other celebrities in declining the opportunity to perform.

But for Mr Trump, this rejection was probably particularly tough to swallow.

In multiple books, Mr Trump had praised Sir Elton’s talent and drive.

In 2005, Mr Trump had arranged for the singer to perform at his third wedding, to Melania Knauss.

Eleven years later, Sir Elton sent his carefully worded email passing on an encore performance, this time at Mr Trump’s inauguration.

“Tiny Dancer”, one of Sir Elton’s most well-known songs, still rings out at the president’s rallies, part of a playlist Mr Trump personally selects.

The president also nicknamed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “Little Rocket Man”, an homage to the song by Sir Elton John and a reference to the strongman’s missile tests.

When the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, went to a meeting with Mr Kim, he came bearing an Elton John record.

Still, Sir Elton’s music has become the soundtrack not just of the Trump rallies but of the Trump presidency itself — a persistent aural reminder of the president’s interest in showmanship and celebrity and his belief that he is never being given proper credit by the news media for what he views as his successes.

While previous presidents have generally measured their victories against those of their predecessors, Mr Trump prefers comparing himself against an international superstar known for his flashy style.

He was giddy when his campaign manager, Brad Parscale, told the crowd at a Manchester, New Hampshire, rally last month that the attendance numbers for the event had bested Sir Elton’s ticket sales in the same venue.

“Great news! Tonight, we broke the all-time attendance record previously held by Elton John at #SNHUArena in Manchester, New Hampshire!” the US president tweeted.

In the days that followed, he repeatedly asked aides if his triumph over Sir Elton was capturing headlines. It was not.

Although aides were not surprised as they did not view the accomplishment as a major story, to the president, it represented an emotional wound — his belief that he is perpetually demeaned and never receives his due, according to people close to him.

During the campaign in 2016, Mr Trump would blast Sir Elton’s music aboard his private aeroplane so loudly that people could not sleep, according to former campaign aides.

And at the time, Mr Trump’s advisers pointed to his public celebration of Sir Elton’s civil union with his partner, David Furnish, in 2005, as evidence of his tolerance towards gay rights. (That support, expressed on Mr Trump’s now-defunct blog, has been deleted, and the president’s administration has established a track record of repeatedly curtailing rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, targeting transgender people in particular).

Still, when the president was elected, he knew exactly whom he wanted to perform at his inauguration. He informed his friend Anthony Scaramucci that Sir Elton would play, without waiting for an actual response from the singer, according to Mr Scaramucci.

“This will be the first American president in US history that enters the White House with a pro-gay-rights stance,” Mr Scaramucci said on television at the time. “Elton John is going to be doing our concert on the mall for the inauguration.”

The singer’s spokeswoman, Fran Curtis, quickly made clear that that was “incorrect”.

A day later, Sir Elton sent an email through his personal assistant to an official on the inaugural committee.

Asked by The New York Times about the inauguration email from the singer, Sir Elton’s husband, Furnish, initially denied it existed, saying: “No correspondence sent to President-elect Trump with an apology and no offer was ever made to perform at a UK state dinner in the US.”

When told of the details, which were provided by two people who had seen it, he quickly said it was so far back that no one immediately remembered it and provided a copy to a reporter.

Sir Elton has made clear since then that he wants daylight between himself and the US president’s politics. Yet in the final sentences of his letter, Sir Elton suggested something of a compromise.

“I was honoured to perform at a White House State Dinner for the UK during the Clinton presidency and I would be delighted to do the same for you if the opportunity arises,” he wrote.

“I also want to wish you every success with your presidency. I love America deeply, a country that has always welcomed me and my music with kind, tolerant and open arms.”

So far, no such dinner has been scheduled.

The New York Times