Former President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump faced a chilly reception on Wednesday night, June 11, as they attended the opening performance of Les Misérables at the Kennedy Center—a night intended to mark their first public appearance at the historic venue since Trump controversially took over its leadership. Instead, the event was marred by protests, boycotts, and an audience divided between applause and pointed boos.
What was expected to be a celebratory return to the arts turned political well before curtain call. In February, Trump made headlines by installing himself as chairman of the Kennedy Center just days into his second term. The move was immediately criticized after he purged the institution’s previous leadership—many of whom were considered progressive in their approach to programming—and replaced them with loyal conservatives. He also appointed former ambassador and Trump ally Richard Grenell as president and interim director.
Wednesday night’s performance of Les Misérables, one of Trump’s self-declared favorite musicals, became the latest battleground in the ongoing cultural tug-of-war. According to earlier reports, at least 10 of the show’s 12 lead actors chose not to perform that night in protest of Trump’s political intervention in the arts. Their absence was noticeable, with stand-ins stepping into roles normally carried by seasoned cast members.
Outside the venue and within the concert hall itself, the reaction was swift. As the Trumps entered the Kennedy Center, a smattering of applause was quickly overwhelmed by loud booing. Social media platforms lit up with footage of the crowd’s reaction, including clips that captured theatergoers shouting “Shame!” as the former president walked to his seat.
Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, who accompanied the Trumps, were also present. The couple had already encountered similar pushback from Kennedy Center patrons in March during a National Symphony Orchestra performance, and Wednesday’s crowd offered no warmer reception this time around.
The cast protest had been brewing for weeks. According to CNN, performers were quietly given the option to abstain from the June 11 show if they felt uncomfortable. Many did. While the Kennedy Center did not publicly address the protest in advance, Grenell had issued a strong statement shortly after the performers’ intentions were made public.
“The Kennedy Center will no longer fund intolerance,” Grenell wrote. “Any performer who isn’t professional enough to perform for patrons of all backgrounds… won’t be welcomed.” He also suggested that dissenting performers be named publicly so that producers would know not to hire them in the future—comments that critics immediately labeled as authoritarian.
The controversy also reignited longstanding tensions over Trump’s political use of Les Misérables. The former president has played “Do You Hear the People Sing?” at various rallies since 2016, despite objections from the show’s creators. The musical’s producer, Sir Cameron Mackintosh, has previously condemned the unauthorized use of its music for political gain, noting that neither Trump nor his campaign received permission to feature it at events.
Ironically, the song—an anthem sung by revolutionaries rising up against oppression—has often been seen as a curious and contradictory favorite for Trump, a figure many critics associate with authoritarian rhetoric.
The atmosphere at Wednesday’s show reflected a deeper division over what role the arts should play in political discourse. Trump supporters in attendance praised the former president for appearing at a high-profile cultural event and pushing back against what they described as elitist gatekeeping in the arts. Detractors viewed the evening as a troubling encroachment of politics into creative spaces meant to be inclusive and independent.
Whether Wednesday night was a one-off controversy or a preview of future showdowns at the Kennedy Center remains to be seen. But for many theatergoers, the message from the evening was loud and clear—even over the orchestral score: the arts, long a battleground for cultural identity, remain a space where politics are impossible to ignore.