'Trump is a warrior': Lee Greenwood reflects on RNC performance of 'God Bless the USA' in Milwaukee
Speaking to Fox News Digital by phone on Monday evening, country star Lee Greenwood reflected on the electric experience of performing his classic song "God Bless the USA" and introducing former President Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention on Monday night, July 15, in Milwaukee.
"It's easy to say that I've done this before," Greenwood said, noting that while this is his sixth RNC, it's also the 40th anniversary of writing his iconic song and releasing it as a record.
"It's also the 40th anniversary of the Republican Party using ‘God Bless the USA’ with Ronald Reagan at the '84 RNC," said Greenwood. "But there were a lot of things that were different last night."
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"The most important of all," he said as the second night of the convention gets underway, "is that we recognize that the assassination attempt on the president's life would have changed the entire world for us if President Trump had been killed," said Greenwood.
"The second thing is, when I performed at the request of the president, the band that was playing actually worked for me for 10 years — so they're very familiar with my music. They did most of my USO tours," he added, which made it more comfortable for him.
Greenwood said that on the opening night of the convention, "which I was not advertised to be at, I wanted to make sure that I was able to excite, incite and electrify the room at the RNC."
And "when the president walked into the room, full of power, and then had his VP choice [Sen. JD Vance] next to him and stood there with his family all around him, that's when I began to sing — which has happened about a dozen times so far in the campaign."
And then "we got to the end of the song, and I saluted him, and he saluted me back — and there was a moment almost of reverence," said Greenwood.
Reverence, he said, because at that point — after the shocking events of Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a gunman fired at Trump during his rally and the U.S. Secret Service had to rush Trump off the stage — people recognized that "he is alive. He is full of energy, and he's ready to move forward with the campaign."
And "I think everybody realized that," said Greenwood.
Added Greenwood of Trump, "He's a warrior. He's courageous. He's defiant. And, as he said in his tweet, he's not going to let this change his scheduling or the events of the campaign."
And in regard to the attempt on Trump's life, "we're just fortunate that God had an angel looking out for him and protecting him at that moment, so that he would turn his head and avoid a killer shot."
And "we're very proud of him for bouncing back and coming to the RNC on Monday night," said Greenwood, "when he wasn't expected until later in the week."
Greenwood said he anticipates performing again for the Trump campaign during this election season.
"I was proud to see a very energized crowd" at the convention, added Greenwood, and people of all ages there as well, not just older delegates or attendees, he said.
"As I perused the room, I saw lots of 30-year-olds, 40-year-olds — younger people who were energized not just about being there but about the process of electing a president."
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Greenwood said that in his next conversation with Trump, if they were talking on the phone person to person, "I would naturally pray with him. Prayer helps."
And "yes, knowing that he's a Christian — I would pray with him and hope that he would have good health. And I would ask him that. I would say, ‘How is your health? Are you doing OK? How's your family?' That type of conversation."
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Greenwood said that, in reference to the person behind the campaign and behind the public and political persona, "Trump is a very caring man. He is definitely a patriot. And he has been very good to me and my family all these years."
In this 2024 election season, Greenwood said he hopes that "President Trump will be elected again, and become president again, and make things better for America."
Greenwood wrote "God Bless the USA" in 1983 — and it became a hit in 1984. It has been voted the most recognizable patriotic song in America.
Greenwood has won numerous music industry awards over the years, including Male Vocalist of the Year from the Academy of Country Music in 1983, two Male Vocalist of the Year awards from the Country Music Association in 1983 and 1984, and a Grammy Award for Top Male Vocal Performance in 1985 for "I.O.U." He has seven No. 1 songs and 25 charted singles to his credit.
The CMA named "God Bless The U.S.A." its Song of the Year in 1985.