Country star Lee Greenwood spoke by phone with Fox News Digital on Monday night to reflect on performing his classic song “God Bless America” and introducing the former president at the Republican National Convention on Monday night, July 15 The thrilling experience of Donald Trump.
“It’s easy to say I’ve done this before,” Greenwood said, noting that while this is his sixth RNC appearance, it’s also the 40th anniversary of writing the iconic song and releasing it as a record day.
“It’s also the 40th anniversary of the Republican use of ‘God Bless America’ with Ronald Reagan at the RNC in ’84,” Greenwood said. “But there was a lot of different things going on last night.”
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“Above all, we recognize that if President Trump is killed, an assassination attempt on the president will change our entire world,” Greenwood said at the start of the second night of the convention.
“The second thing is, when I performed at the president’s request, the band I played with actually worked for me for 10 years, so they were very familiar with my music. They did most of my USO tours,” he added , which makes him feel more comfortable.
Former President Donald Trump appeared on Monday night during the first night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Lee Greenwood performed his famous song “God Bless America” on Monday and introduced the former president to the chamber. (Reuters/Andrew Kelly/Getty Images)
On opening night of the convention, Greenwood said, “I wasn’t advertised to be at the convention, but I wanted to make sure I could get the RNC room excited, incited and energized.”
“When the president walks into the room, full of power, and chooses the vice president [Sen. JD Vance] Standing next to him, standing there with his family surrounding him, that’s when I started singing – something that has happened a dozen times on the campaign trail so far.
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Then “we got to the end of the song and I saluted him and he saluted me — it was almost a moment of reverence,” Greenwood said.
It’s a reverence, he said, because the U.S. Secret Service had to remove Trump after Saturday’s shocking incident in Butler, Pa., when a gunman opened fire on Trump at a rally. Coming off the podium, there was a recognition that “he’s alive” and he was energetic and ready to push the campaign forward.
Lee Greenwood performs during the Republican National Convention on Monday, July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
“I think everyone realizes that,” Greenwood said.
Trump’s Greenwood added, “He’s a fighter. He’s brave. He’s defiant. And, as he said in his tweet, he won’t let this change his schedule or campaign.”
“At that moment, God sent an angel to look after him and protect him.”
Regarding the assassination of Trump, “We were lucky that God had an angel watching him at that moment and protecting him so that he could turn his head and avoid the fatal shot.”
“We are very proud that he recovered and came to the RNC on Monday night when he was not expected to appear until later in the week,” Greenwood said.
Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless America” has become the signature entrance music during Donald Trump rallies; the song was played at the start of some White House events during the Trump administration of. (Getty Images)
Greenwood said he expects to perform for the Trump campaign again this election season.
Greenwood added, “I was proud to see an energetic crowd at the conference” with people of all ages, not just older delegates or attendees.
“When I look closely at the room, I see a lot of 30- and 40-year-olds — who are energized not just by being in it, but by the process of electing a president.”
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Greenwood said that during his next conversation with Trump, if they were face-to-face on the phone, “I would naturally pray with him. Prayer helps.”
“How are you doing? Are you OK? Is your family OK?”
“Yeah, knowing he was a Christian — I would pray with him that he would be healthy. I would ask him that question. I would say, ‘How is your health? Are you okay? Is your family okay? Okay? That kind of talk.
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Greenwood said of the man behind the campaign and the people behind the public and political figures, “Trump is a very caring man. He is absolutely a patriot. He has been very kind to me and my family over the years. good.
Singer Lee Greenwood will perform on the first day of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee. Delegates, politicians and the Republican faithful gathered in Milwaukee for the annual convention, where former President Donald Trump accepted the party’s presidential nomination. The RNC will be held July 15-18, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
In this 2024 election season, Greenwood said he hopes “President Trump can be re-elected and become president again and make things better in America.”
Greenwood wrote “God Bless America” in 1983 and it became a hit in 1984.
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Greenwood has won numerous music industry awards over the years, including Male Vocalist of the Year from the Academy of Country Music in 1983, Male Vocalist of the Year from the Country Music Association in 1983 and 1984, and a Grammy Award for Best Male Vocalist in 1985. He has had seven No. 1 songs and 25 chart-topping songs since he sang for “IOU.”
The CMA named “God Bless America” Song of the Year in 1985.
