The audience drew nearly as much attention as the performance Wednesday at the Kennedy Center, where President Donald Trump attended the opening night of “Les Misérables” amid recent administrative changes.
It was Trump’s first visit to the Kennedy Center since his election, where he received a mix of boos and cheers upon arriving with First Lady Melania Trump.
The event had a Broadway-style atmosphere and was attended by several prominent figures, including Ric Grenell, interim leader of the Kennedy Center; Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha; Attorney General Pam Bondi; and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Further, Laura Loomer also shared a video from a seat near the stage.
Trump walked the red carpet with the first lady upon arriving at the Kennedy Center, where changes have been made to leadership and programming to reflect a different ideological approach.
“We want to bring it back, and we want to bring it back better than ever,” Trump said.
The Republican president has a particular affection for “Les Misérables,” the sprawling musical set in 19th-century France, and has occasionally played its songs at his events. One of them, “Do You Hear the People Sing?,” is a revolutionary rallying cry inspired by the 1832 rebellion against the French king.
The three-hour production included singing and dancing, with sounds of explosions and gunfire as protesters and soldiers clashed on stage. Some audience members noted parallels to recent National Guard deployments in Los Angeles related to protests over deportation policies.
Terry Gee, a bartender, bought his ticket for the show in November and didn’t mind Trump’s presence. It’s his sixth time seeing “Les Misérables,” and he said, “I’m going to enjoy the show regardless.”
Hannah Watkins, a nurse, only learned that Trump would be there when the Kennedy Center distributed information about extra security and she searched online to see what was happening.
“I’ve seen a lot of famous people so far, which is exciting,” said Watkins, who had claimed a spot near the VIP entrance with her mother. “Honestly, we just like ‘Les Mis’ and are excited to be here.”
Before Trump, presidential involvement in the Kennedy Center’s affairs had been limited to naming members to the board of trustees and attending the taping of its annual honors program in the fall.
After returning to office in January, Trump replaced the Kennedy Center’s longtime director and board members with new appointees and was named chairman. He announced plans to make changes to the Center’s programming, management, and appearance.
His latest moves have upset some of the center’s patrons and performers.
Trump appointed Usha Vance to the Kennedy Center board along with Bondi, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Fox News Channel hosts Maria Bartiromo and Laura Ingraham, among other supporters.
Sales of subscription packages are said to have declined since Trump’s takeover, and several touring productions, including “Hamilton,” have canceled planned runs at the center. Actor Issa Rae and musician Rhiannon Giddens scrapped scheduled appearances, and Kennedy Center consultants including musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned.
Understudies may have performed in some roles Wednesday night because of boycotts by “Les Misérables” cast members, but Trump said he wasn’t phased by anyone skipping the performance.
“I couldn’t care less,” he said.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has taken a more assertive approach toward arts funding. The administration has moved to cancel millions of dollars in previously awarded federal humanities grants, and the budget proposal included eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Trump also signed executive orders to restrict funding for Smithsonian museums and took steps to remove the director of the National Portrait Gallery.
The president characterized previous programming at the Kennedy Center as “out of control with rampant political propaganda” and said it featured “some very inappropriate shows,” including a “Marxist anti-police performance” and “lesbian-only Shakespeare.”
The Kennedy Center, which is supported by government money and private donations, opened in 1971 and for decades has been seen as an apolitical celebration of the arts.
It was first conceived in the late 1950s during the administration of Republican President Dwight Eisenhower, who backed a bill from the Democrat-led Congress calling for a National Culture Center. In the early 1960s, Democrat President John F. Kennedy launched a fundraising initiative, and his successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, signed into law a 1964 bill renaming the project the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. Kennedy had been assassinated the year before.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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