Carrie Underwood Performing For Trump Reportedly Fueled By Nasty Taylor Swift Feud

Carrie Underwood's decision to perform at Donald Trump's inauguration after remaining largely apolitical throughout her career raised eyebrows. However, in April 2025, an insider informed the Daily Mail that the "Before He Cheats" hitmaker's long-standing, rumored feud with Taylor Swift may have driven her to make the controversial decision. "Some people close to Taylor think Carrie took the Trump inauguration gig to spite Taylor," the source claimed before noting that Swift had passionately endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 elections while ending JD Vance with three simple words. 

They elaborated, "Some people in the industry do think this is Carrie's way of marking her territory as 'Miss Americana' as her side of the political aisle won the election." At the time of the president's inauguration in January 2025, the reported feud between Underwood and Swift had been brewing for over a decade, so it's unsurprising to learn that things may have got more heated over the years. For instance, while co-hosting the 2012 CMAs alongside fellow country star Brad Paisley, the "Jesus, Take The Wheel" songstress joked about Swift's short-lived relationship with Conor Kennedy. 

Later that month, the New York Times asked the "Blank Space" hitmaker why we didn't get to see her reaction to the bit, and she offered a curt response, explaining, "They don't pan to you if you're not laughing." Then, in 2013, a source dished to Us Weekly that Swift was indeed among the celebrities who disliked Underwood because she was apparently "always rude to her." And, in 2025, we got a subtle glimpse of the country star's reported dislike for Swift when she began judging on "American Idol."

After 14-year-old singer-songwriter Zaylie Windsor performed an original song on "American Idol," in March 2025, Carrie Underwood complimented her while subtly shading Taylor Swift in the process. "I feel like there's a Taylor Swift-esque quality," Underwood remarked, per Yahoo! "She doesn't have this giant vibrato, belty voice, but there's something in there." While her words undoubtedly stood as a huge compliment to the young singer, they also appeared to be a critique of Swift's vocal talents.

Later, an insider confirmed to the Daily Mail that the jab had been in the works for a long time, disclosing, "Carrie has been waiting for the moment to throw some subtle shade, but this was not that subtle." A source close to the "Good Girl" songstress also professed that she disliked Swift because Underwood believed she had "sold out" by trading her cowboy boots for a career in pop music. Meanwhile, the country star openly shared her thoughts on Swift during a 2012 BANG Showbiz interview. 

Underwood admitted to being baffled by the constant comparisons to the "Shake It Off" hitmaker because their music didn't sound alike, despite being in the same genre. However, she once again shaded Swift by pointing out that her vocals were "lighter" compared to Underwood's, per CatCountry1029. Meanwhile, in a 2012 Allure interview, the "American Idol" winner reasoned that she couldn't classify Swift as a pal because they never saw each other outside of the odd run-in at an awards show. Suffice it to say that the feud is just one of the many rumors that Underwood can't seem to escape.