Who is Christopher Macchio, who sang the National Anthem at Trumps inauguration?

A relatively-little known singer got the boost of a lifetime on Monday when he sang at Donald Trump’s inauguration.The president, 78, tapped Christopher Macchio to perform the national anthem.

Described on his website as “America’s tenor,” Macchio, 46, has a long history as a concert singer and almost as long of a history of supporting Trump.The Long Island native didn’t consider a career as a singer until a teacher helped him realize how powerful his voice was, as he told CBS Sunday Mornings.Instilled with a new-found confidence, he went on to study classical voice at Manhattan School of Music before making his professional debut in a PBS concert special.He soon performed on programs for Fox, NBC, ABC, and RAI International.To date, he has also appeared as a guest singer in concerts with David Foster, appeared in two films (the mafia comedy “Don Q” and the faith-based biopic “Cabrini”) and released two albums — “Dolci Momenti (Sweet Moments)” and a Christmas LP, “O Holy Night.”Macchio even performs semi-regularly at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center with Andy Cooney and Daniel Rodriguez as the New York Tenors.His introduction to Trump occurred about a decade ago when another singer slated to perform at the former “Apprentice” host’s Mar-a-Lago New Year’s Eve party backed out at the last-minute, leading a member of the Florida club to suggest Macchio step in as a replacement.

Trump flew Macchio down from New York and was wowed.“He said, ‘Your voice is unbelievable, magnificent.I can’t tell who is better, you or Pavarotti,'” Macchio recalled to CBS News.The tenor has also said that Trump’s late brother, Robert, was a “big, big fan” of his pipes (Trump chose Macchio to perform at Robert’s funeral).With good reason, Macchio says he’s Trump’s “favorite singer.”Macchio performed on the White House patio in 2020 after Trump accepted the Republican party’s nomination for president, headlined Trump HQ’s 2024...