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Country singer claims venue canceled her gig because she performed national anthem at Trump rally: 'That’s not okay'
Screenshot of @carlytefft Instagram video

Country singer claims venue canceled her gig because she performed national anthem at Trump rally: 'That’s not okay'

A country music singer has claimed that a Massachusetts venue where she had been performing for seven years canceled her gig for the remainder of the year after owners learned she had performed the national anthem at a rally for former President Donald Trump.

On April 27, Carly Tefft, who hails from Massachusetts, had the honor of performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a Trump rally in New Hampshire. "When 45 calls you to sing the anthem, just letting God use my voice as a vessel. @realdonaldtrump, thank you mr. president," she posted to Instagram.

While Tefft suspected that her appearance at the rally might ruffle a few feathers, she did not expect to lose work because of it. She was wrong. About five days later, one of the managers of Harvest Gallery — a restaurant and bar in Dennis, Massachusetts, near Cape Cod — reportedly called to say that all of her scheduled performances for the rest of the year had been canceled.

According to an interview Tefft gave on "The Howie Carr Show" this week, the unnamed manager claimed that patrons might feel "threatened" and even likened having her perform to obscene art. "'I can’t have nude artistry hanging in my space,' he said, and he was comparing that to what I did," Tefft told host Taylor Cormier.

The manager then went even further and allegedly probed Tefft about her personal opinions regarding the former president. "Are you a Trump supporter?" he demanded to know. "I just sighed," said Tefft, who has never publicly endorsed Trump and who claimed to support only God "wholeheartedly." "I knew that no matter what I said, he had already made up his mind. That’s his business, and that’s his prerogative." She said he later complimented her for having "a great head on [her] shoulders" and insisted that she was still welcome to frequent Harvest Gallery as a patron, but not as a performer.

"It's funny because Massachusetts — you know, liberal — is supposed to be more 'open,'" she said.

For a few weeks, Tefft kept the alleged cancellation to herself. However, she later changed her mind and decided to share it in the hopes that it might prevent her kids from enduring a similar experience someday. "My kids one day, just because they go to one church or like one person or support one team, if they can’t work somewhere, that’s not okay," she said.

On Wednesday, she shared a video of her song "Freedom in This Country" on Twitter, hinting that now might be a good time to "re-release" it in light of her situation.

Representatives of Harvest Gallery did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News. TheBlaze also reached out for comment but did not immediately hear back.

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Cortney Weil

Cortney Weil

Sr. Editor, News

Cortney Weil is a senior editor for Blaze News. She has a Ph.D. in Shakespearean drama, but now enjoys writing about religion, sports, and local criminal investigations. She loves God, her husband, and all things Michigan State.
@cortneyweil →