The new Miss USA, who once sang at a Trump rally, speaks out about the ongoing election turmoil: 'People have voted, and they deserve to have their voices heard'

• Miss USA Asya Branch spoke to Insider about America's ongoing election turmoil.
• "This election was historic — more voters than what we've ever had in our election history," Branch told Insider. "And I think people deserve to have their voices heard."
• "The people have voted," she added. "That's the whole purpose of us having this right, and we exercised it. That should be that."
• Shortly after Branch was crowned on Monday, people on Twitter pointed out that she sang at a Trump rally in 2018 and once appeared at a roundtable with the president at the White House.

While there may have been a time when pageant queens and politics didn't mix, the new Miss USA isn't afraid to take a stand on America's ongoing election turmoil.

"This election was historic — more voters than what we've ever had in our election history," Asya Branch, who was crowned Miss USA on Monday night, told Insider. "And I think people deserve to have their voices heard."

AP, CNN, and Fox News called President-elect Joe Biden the winner on Saturday, following Insider and Decision Desk's projection on Friday.

Biden has received more votes than any presidential candidate in America's history. At the time of writing, he has 78,380,438 popular votes and 290 electoral votes. In comparison, Trump has 72,999,123 popular votes and 232 electoral votes, according to Decision Desk.

But Trump has yet to concede the presidency, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was criticized on Tuesday after he said there will be a "smooth transition to a second Trump administration."

Branch — who represented Mississippi at Miss USA — told Insider that she believes the votes are clear, and that the American people's decision should be respected.

"The people have voted," she said. "That's the whole purpose of us having this right, and we exercised it. That should be that. People have voted, and they deserve to have their voices heard."

Shortly after Branch won, people on Twitter pointed out that she sang at a Trump rally in 2018 and once appeared at a roundtable with the president at the White House

Branch told Insider that she had been contractually obligated to sing the national anthem at Trump's 2018 rally while she was Miss Mississippi under the Miss America system, which is a separate organization from Miss USA.

"I think what people miss a lot of the time is the fact that, as Miss Mississippi in the Miss America system, I was under a contract as an employee of the organization," she said. "Part of my contract obligated me to attend appearances, and that [Trump rally] was one of them."

"And I think that any opportunity that I get to sing the National Anthem is a true honor, regardless of where it takes place."

Branch also noted that she went to the White House to discuss the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill that was signed into law in December 2018

"The roundtable discussion was an incredible opportunity for me to sit at a table where decisions are being made, and leave a lasting impact on a subject that I'm extremely passionate about," Branch said. "Having that First Step Act passed was just truly incredible to me, and it just warmed my heart to know that I was part of that discussion of progress in the right direction when it comes to prison reform."

"And I think, as a nation, it's just important that we focus on what really matters and we let go of the hatred," she added. "And we just focus on us as the people, and what we can do using our voices."

Branch's Miss USA platform is helping the children of incarcerated parents. She was inspired to publicly speak out about the issue after a pageant judge encouraged her to be open about what it was like growing up with a father in prison.

As the new Miss USA, Branch said she hopes to help 'unite our nation once again and restore trust, positivity, and hope'

"When you look at pageants as a whole, we all represent different regions of the country, we all have different beliefs, we all have different passions and things that we advocate for, yet we're all still able to love each other," Branch told Insider.

"And I think, as a nation, we should look to pageantry as an example. How we all have our differences, yet we're still able to come together and love one another."

• Read more:
• Photos show the emotional moment Miss Mississippi Asya Branch was crowned the winner of Miss USA 2020
• The new Miss USA says she doesn't support banning guns but believes AK-47s are better left to the military
• New Miss USA Asya Branch said she was contractually obligated to sing at a Trump rally while she was Miss Mississippi
• Miss USA Cheslie Kryst said she never thought she'd be able to discuss her support for Black Lives Matter onstage in her early pageant days