The President of the United States, Donald Trump, welcomed the renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli at the White House on Friday, who surprised the leader with an impromptu performance of his famous song “Time to Say Goodbye” in the Oval Office.
The moment was shared on social media X (formerly Twitter) by Margo Martin, special assistant to the president, who posted a video showing Bocelli singing in front of the Resolute desk while Trump, standing behind him, listens with a smile.
"Listen to this," Trump can be heard saying in the clip, just before the tenor's voice begins to fill the most iconic room in the White House.
Bocelli, dressed in a black suit and dark glasses, sang a few verses of the song that launched him to global fame, accompanied by an instrumental track.
In the video, the Italian tenor sings effortlessly while sharing laughs with the president.
"He began to sing spontaneously, without any protocol, with impressive elegance and humility," Martin wrote while sharing the images, which quickly went viral.
Another fragment published by the same official shows Trump talking with Bocelli at his desk while both listen to a recording of the artist. “It’s an honor to have you here, Andrea,” the president says to him.
According to the Deadline portal, Bocelli will perform again at the White House on December 5, two days before the annual Kennedy Center Honors ceremony, one of the most prestigious cultural events in the United States.
Trump and Bocelli have maintained a cordial relationship for over a decade. In 2010, the businessman and his wife Melania attended a private concert by the tenor at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Since then, they have both participated in various charitable and cultural events.
The meeting this Friday took place shortly before the arrival of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, at the White House for a high-level meeting, although it is unclear whether both visits were related.
Bocelli's visit is part of a series of cultural encounters promoted by Trump during his second term, with the aim —according to the White House— of “reconnecting politics with beauty, faith, and art.”
The tenor, who rarely speaks on political issues, has sung for various world leaders and on iconic stages such as the Vatican, the Coliseum in Rome, and the White House during previous administrations.
Neither Bocelli nor his management team have made any statements regarding the visit. However, images from the meeting have generated considerable attention on social media.
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