Country star Keith Urban delivered a surprising performance of Chappell Roan’s queer-beloved anthem “Pink Pony Club” during a private party at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, Nov. 15, an appearance that has drawn attention due to former President Donald Trump’s attendance.
Urban, 58, and Trump, 79, were among the guests at a private event hosted by Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt. Pratt, 65, is a major political donor whose support for Trump stretches back nearly a decade. He donated $10 million to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and pledged $5 billion to back Trump’s calls to reindustrialize the United States, according to reporting from Axios.
Footage posted on Instagram by user @tali.florida showed Urban performing Bob Marley’s “Is This Love” before launching into Roan’s breakout hit, “Pink Pony Club.” In the clip, guests can be seen mingling and dancing as the country star sings a track widely embraced as an LGBTQ+ anthem.
A Song About Finding Queer Freedom
“Pink Pony Club,” released in 2020, chronicles the story of a young woman who leaves her conservative Southern upbringing behind to find community, freedom and self-expression in Los Angeles. Chappell Roan, now 27, has said she wrote the song after visiting the iconic West Hollywood gay bar The Abbey, a place she described as central to her understanding of queer joy.
Urban has performed the song during several recent live shows, often sharing how deeply it resonates with him. In an appearance on the Canadian web series Intimate and Interactive, he said he “almost cried” the first time he heard it.
“Who doesn’t want to find a safe place, wherever that is?” Urban said. “You just wanna find your people, doesn’t matter what that is, just somewhere where you finally realize you belong there. God, that speaks to me.”
His emotional connection to the song has helped introduce Roan’s music — and its messages of queer liberation — to new audiences, including country fans who may not have encountered her work otherwise.
Politics, Performance and Public Perception
Urban’s performance at Mar-a-Lago raised eyebrows due to his past comments about Trump and political endorsements. In 2017, the artist told The Hill he was unsure whether he would perform at the White House while Trump was president. In a 2024 interview with The Times, he said he avoids openly endorsing political candidates because of his wide-ranging, diverse fanbase.
“I’m often amazed that people don’t look to artists’ work — they’re pretty clear on who they are and their views, and I’m no different,” he said. “I play to extremely diverse audiences in every way, politically and pronoun, age groups, ethnicity.”
Meanwhile, Roan has been outspoken in her criticism of Trump. During the 2024 election cycle, she publicly denounced him on TikTok, saying, “F— Trump for f—ing real.” In another video, she reiterated that she would not vote for him and emphasized her commitment to challenging those in power.
A Moment at the Crossroads of Country, Queerness and Politics
Urban’s choice to perform “Pink Pony Club,” especially in a space associated with Trump, highlights the increasingly complex intersections of country music, queer culture and U.S. politics. While the event was private and not a political rally, the juxtaposition of a queer-affirming anthem and a venue closely tied to conservative politics has sparked discussion among fans across social platforms.
Roan’s music has become a staple within LGBTQ+ communities, and Urban’s admiration for the track underscores its broad emotional reach. Whether the Mar-a-Lago performance will be perceived as an artistic moment or a political flashpoint remains to be seen, but it undeniably brought one of queer pop’s most celebrated songs into an unexpected spotlight.
