Donald Trump did not ask his friend Andrea Bocelli to perform at his inauguration, the chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee said Tuesday in response to reports that the singer turned the president-elect down.
"Bocelli and his wife ... have been friends of Trump since the very beginning," Tom Barrack said on CNBC's "Squawk Box."
Barrack, founder of real estate powerhouse Colony Capital, said it was the Bocellis who approached Trump, saying he would consider performing if it would be helpful.
"[But] Donald said, 'You don't need to. We're not in that kind of a framework. Thanks very much for the offer. You're my friend. You are always welcome at the White House,'" Barrack said.
Barrack said the media twisted the situation, reporting that Bocelli declined to perform at Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration after being trolled on social media.
"It never got to: Can you, will you, would you with either of them. They're just great friends. And that was it," Barrack said.
Bocelli, who performed at Madison Square Garden in New York last Thursday, was not immediately available to respond to a CNBC request for comment.