Jackie Evancho, Trump’s Inauguration, and the Politics of Childhood

Last month, Jackie Evancho, a sixteen-year-old classical-crossover singer, became the first performer to announce her participation in Donald Trump’s notorious hard sell of an inaugural celebration. She broke the news on the “Today” show. Evancho has a sweetly timid poise about her; her long blond waves shook as she laughed, shyly, about the staggering invitation she had received from the President-elect. The anchors spoke the way adults speak to impressive, well-behaved children: “Oh, my goodness!” they exclaimed. “Wow.” Al Roker asked Evancho if the “roller coaster” of her career had sunk in yet. “No,” she said, smiling. She sounded rueful and honest. “I kind of live in the moment. It doesn’t really register until, like, years in the future.”