Trace Adkins has been a go-to country singer for big-stage renditions of the national anthem. Over the past decade, Adkins has belted out "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the 2011 World Series and other sporting events, including multiple NFL games.
On Wednesday night (Aug. 26), the Louisiana native represented his fellow country music stars on an even bigger stage: the 2020 Republican National Convention (RNC).
TheHill.com reports that the Nashville superstar performed the national anthem at Fort McHenry. Md., the site where Francis Scott Key wrote the poem that became "The Star-Spangled Banner."
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump witnessed the baritone-voiced country singer's performance in-person, as did Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen.
The "Arlington" singer performed at the 2012 RNC and at then-Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam's second inauguration in 2015. The singer's relationship with Trump dates back to at least 2008, when he was runner-up on Trump-hosted NBC variety series Celebrity Apprentice.
As Adkins tells it, strong opinions about Trump based on his Tweets or his public persona are grounded in reality.
"I tell people, and it is very honest, if you have an opinion of him based on what you've seen from his public persona, then you can feel pretty sure it is an honest opinion because he doesn't turn it on and off for the camera," Adkins told Fox News in 2017. "He is the same way whether he is in front of a camera or not. What you see is what you get."
Read More: Watch Trace Adkins' Patriotic Music Video for 'Still a Soldier'
Adkin's performance came a week after The Chicks sang the national anthem at the Democratic National Convention.
Trump will be challenged for the presidency on Nov. 3 by former vice president Joe Biden.
Adkins' Ain't That Kind of Cowboy EP arrives on Oct. 16. New songs since Blake Shelton duet "Hell Right" include "Mind on Fishin'."
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