Garth Brooks Says Inauguration Performance Isn’t About Politics

However, he was quick to tell reporters that his participation isn’t meant to be interpreted as anything resembling an endorsement.

“This is not a political statement, this is a statement of unity,” the country singer told reporters, according to ETOnline. “This is kind of how I get to serve this country.”

Brooks performed at Barack Obama’s first inauguration in 2009, but bowed out of President Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration, citing a tour scheduling conflict, according to the Tennessean.