Foster criticized for evening with Trump
PALM BEACH, Florida — The decision of Victoria-raised music producer David Foster to headline a weekend fundraiser at U.S. President Donald Trump’s Florida estate raised a few eyebrows on social media.
One Ontario fan posted on Twitter: “I’ve always liked David Foster so was disappointed to hear he’d been at Trump’s golf club along with former PM [Brian] Mulroney.”
Others commenters on Twitter and Facebook were more pointed in their criticism.
The producer-musician sang and played piano for a Saturday night fundraiser for the DanaFarber Cancer Institute at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, which Trump has called the “winter White House.”
One of the numbers Foster performed was Glory of Love, a hit song he co-wrote for Peter Cetera.
Mulroney also sang at the event. A video posted on social media that appeared to be taken from a fundraising event shows Mulroney singing When Irish Eyes are Smiling on the stage at the Mar-a-Lago Club, a membersonly club in the Mar-a-Lago mansion.
“I would never presume to say that I could go to the president of the United States and ask him to sing, so I won’t do that,” Foster joked before calling Mulroney to the stage.
The Palm Beach Daily News reported that Mulroney sat with Trump and his wife Melania, who are his longtime neighbours in Palm Beach, Florida.
“Mr. President, I hope this doesn’t fracture U.S.-Canada relations for decades,” Mulroney quipped in Saturday’s video shortly before he started singing.
This wasn’t the first time Mulroney has sung When Irish Eyes are Smiling in the presence of an American president.
He and his wife Mila joined Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy in singing the song during a meeting in Quebec City in 1985 that was then dubbed the “Shamrock Summit.”
In December, Foster posted a message on Instagram saying that he’d been asked to participate in Trump’s inauguration but “politely and respectfully declined.” This followed reports that he might be helping to line up performers for the Jan. 20 event.
Foster’s manager did not respond to a Times Colonist email requesting comment.