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Get Rich or Die Tryin'... to go to Donald Trump's inauguration.
You might remember President Donald Trump's inauguration as that hot mess where he went on about "American carnage" (what?), pledged to remedy the opioid crisis (still waiting) and pledged to work for the American people (how's that working out?) and later complained about crowd sizes.
Rapper Curtis Jackson, aka 50 Cent, remembers the inauguration as the time the incoming Trump administration offered him "half a million dollars" just to attend.
"To play at the inauguration?" asked television host James Corden, to whom 50 relayed the story.
"No, just to come," 50 clarified, adding:
"I didn't do it because I didn't know if I could fix the damage. To be honest with you, all money is not good money. You have to be careful with what you're doing publicly. Don't bring me to fix the African-American vote."
You can watch the rapper/actor talk about his experience below:
Trump Offered Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson Half a Million Dollars youtu.be
It seems many agree with 50's decision.
@realDonaldTrump you know who didn't have to pay people to attend his inauguration? President Obama. https://t.co/np9fhqggkx— Jay Kraken Burns (@Jay Kraken Burns) 1550683520.0
Paying someone to spend time with you... I guess if someone pays prostitutes they’re used to buying attention. 50… https://t.co/lXIDRWhnIX— T.J. Mannix (@T.J. Mannix) 1550681807.0
No one knows what Trump spent all that inauguration money on. Now we have a clue. 50 Cent reveals the Trump Inaugur… https://t.co/IzGpusLVIl— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1550666898.0
A spokesperson for the White House could not be reached for comment due to the snowstorm that shut down D.C. for the day.
Trump once claimed that he would have "the biggest celebrities in the world" at his inauguration, though the acts he did secure paled in comparison to his predecessor.
"Many of the celebrities that are saying they were not going, they were never invited," he said during a sit-down with Fox & Friends' Ainsley Earhardt two days before his swearing in.
He added:
"I don't want the celebrities, I want the people. And we have the biggest celebrities in the world there."
President-elect @realDonaldTrump: "I don’t want the celebrities and I want the people." https://t.co/HHPjbXbcbh— Fox News (@Fox News) 1484743124.0
In the end, the then-President elect failed to attract huge names (and many musicians turned down the opportunity to make appearances, citing their issues with Trump's rhetoric).
Trump's swearing in ceremony featured appearances from 3 Doors Down, The Piano Guys, Lee Greenwood, Sam Moore and America's Got Talent performer Jackie Evancho.
Three 3 Doors Down President Trump Inauguration Full Performance www.youtube.com
Barack Obama's inauguration, by contrast, featured performances from big names like Beyonce, John Legend, Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder and Josh Groban.
This fact (and more) has continued to incense the current President, who has spent considerable time over the last two years claiming that his inauguration boasted larger crowd sizes than his predecessor.
That claim has been debunked.
Repeatedly.