On January 13th, 2021, just one week after the violent riots at the U.S. Capitol that
left five dead, President Donald Trump became the first U.S. president ever to be impeached
twice. This time, Trump was charged with, quote, "incitement of insurrection," according
to the New York Times, referring to the call-to-action for his supporters at his D.C. rally just
moments before the riots. One incriminating statement he made was for his defenders to
"fight like hell" for his perceived — and inaccurate — notion that election fraud
won President-elect Joe Biden the presidency in 2020.
Though Trump took to Twitter during the attack on the Capitol, partially encouraging peace,
he also declared his "love" for the mob, telling them they're "very special," as per CNN. His
account was permanently suspended two days later due to, quote, "the risk of further
incitement of violence." One House Republican, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California,
said he believes...
"...the president bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters.
He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding."
While this historic second impeachment will certainly leave a stain on Trump's time as
president, he was reportedly busy awarding musicians during one of the most defining
moments of his presidency.
According to Bloomberg News' Senior White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs, sources revealed
that Trump was, quote, "giving national medal of the arts" awards to country singers Toby
Keith and Ricky Skaggs during the vote for his impeachment. Additionally, an administrative
official confirmed that Trump was indeed granting these medals during that time, according to
The Hill.
Both Keith and Skaggs had previously shown support for Trump. As per Billboard, Keith
performed at the "MAGA" celebration the day before the president's inauguration in 2017.
As for Skaggs, he sang Trump's praises to the Gossip Herald back in November 2016, saying,
"I love [Trump's] enthusiasm and his fighting spirit. He's not going to let anyone bulldoze
over him because he's a bulldozer himself. Mr. Trump is someone who tears down and rebuilds."
While Trump's actions during his impeachment may be shocking, it's certainly not surprising
that these are two artists to whom he would give National Medals of the Arts.
According to a White House statement, he also gave the medal to Nick Ut, Earl "Rusty" Powell
III, and Mary Costa.
Ut was honored for his, quote, "decades of contributions to wartime photojournalism,"
according to the statement. The Pulitzer Prize winner, known for his Vietnam War image "The
Terror of War," spoke to Newsweek about accepting the award, "despite some friends advising
him otherwise," adding,
"I'm sure a lot of people are very upset with me for accepting the medal. But it's my personal
life. I'm an old man now, so I'm happy the president gave me an award. I wanted to be
here. For me, it's more about receiving an award from a president."
Another medal recipient, Powell, was the longest-serving director of the National Gallery of Art, according
to the statement. He didn't seem to have any public statement about receiving the National
Medal of Arts, which is "the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United
States Government," per the White House, but Costa, an opera singer, was pleased. She said,
per WATE 6,
"To receive the National Medal of Arts is the ultimate honor of my career, and I am
humbled that my joy of singing has been awarded in this special way."
While the impeachment proceedings were taking place, Donald Trump also awarded the National
Humanities Medal to two people and one institution, according to a White House statement: Kay
Coles James, O. James Lighthizer, and The National World War II Museum.
James, president of conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, was given the medal
"for her intellectual leadership, devotion to our Constitutional principles, and steadfast
commitment to opportunity for all," per the statement. Meanwhile, Lighthizer was honored
"for his decades of work protecting thousands of acres of Civil War battlefields for future
generations." Neither seemed to have a public remark about receiving the awards.
According to the White House statement:
"...the National Humanities Medal honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the Nation's
understanding of the humanities and broadened our citizens' engagement with history, literature,
languages, philosophy, and other humanities subjects."
While it's normal for presidents to give out awards like this, especially at the end of
their terms, it generally doesn't play out with the backdrop of an impeachment.
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