Barack Obama reacted to Christina Aguilera‘s performance of ‘What a Wonderful World’ by Louis Armstrong. This special act happened during the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center. The singer also later took to social media to share glimpses of her look from the event while extending her gratitude for the opportunity.
Barack Obama reacts to Christina Aguilera’s ‘What a Wonderful World’
Obama was seated beside his wife, Michelle, as they watched Aguilera deliver a powerful performance of one of his favorite songs, “What a Wonderful World.” The duo smiled as they enjoyed her special act at the Obama Presidential Center. Later, the singer also received a standing ovation from the political couple.
Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation, introduced Aguilera. She spoke about the effort she put into bringing the performance to life. She said, “When we asked her to sing one of President Obama’s favorite songs, she told us, ‘Well, uh, I’ve never sung it in public before. But she came up with a new arrangement just for this occasion, and we are so grateful” (via PEOPLE).
The ‘Genie in a Bottle’ singer also took to Instagram to share glimpses of her getting ready for the event. In it, she was sporting a semi-sheer Prabal Gurung gown. Alongside a series of her pictures, her caption read, “What an honor to be a part of this historic moment. Congratulations and thank you so much for having me.”
In an interview with the TODAY show, the former president revealed what message he intends to convey to the country and community through this center. He said, “I’m glad that this center and this library and the museum, this entire campus, reminds people not of the past, but reminds people of what’s inside all of us — that we all have the capacity for empathy. We all have the capacity for looking out for each other. We all have the capacity to feel a civic responsibility to make sure our government works.”
He also touched upon how it’s our duty to make sure the elected officials are held accountable. He believes these principles shouldn’t be viewed as things of the past but as a direction towards the future.
