Trump met with cheers, boos at Kennedy Center for ‘Les Miserables’ performance

WASHINGTON: A loud mix of boos and cheers greeted US President Donald Trump on Wednesday when he attended his first production at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the institution he subjected to a conservative takeover earlier this year.

The mixed reception from theatergoers for Trump and his wife Melania as they arrived in the presidential box for a performance of “Les Miserables” reflected the heightened emotions unleashed by his overhaul of the cultural center and use of executive power to shake up US society.

His appearance at a musical about citizens rising up against their government came just days after he sent US Marines and the National Guard to quell protests against his administration’s immigration raids in Los Angeles.

Power and protest – key themes in the show – manifested within the theater itself.

While some kept their backs turned to Trump, who raised his fist as he greeted the crowd, others chanted “USA! USA!” to drown out boos as he and his wife were seated.

Several drag queens in full regalia sat in the audience, likely in response to Trump’s previous criticism of the venue for hosting drag shows. One person shouted “Viva Los Angeles” as Trump stepped out of the presidential box for intermission.

Trump did not attend events at the Kennedy Center during his first term but has taken a keen interest in it during his second. He pushed out its former chairman and took on the role himself, fired its longtime president and pledged to overhaul an institution that he criticized as too liberal. The center, a leading US arts facility, had long enjoyed bipartisan support.

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REVENUE DOWN

Ticket and subscription sales have fallen since and some shows, including the hit “Hamilton,” have canceled their engagements.

Trump’s appearance was meant to boost fundraising for the center, and he said donors raised more than $10 million.

“We’re going to make it incredible. We have all the funding. We raised a lot tonight, and we’ll put in a lot of money to bring it back to the highest level,” a tuxedo-clad Trump told reporters after other administration officials arrived on the red carpet, meant to evoke a Hollywood movie premiere.

Overall year-on-year subscription revenue at the Kennedy Center was down 36 per cent to $2.8 million as of early June for next season, which begins in the autumn, according to a person briefed on the data. Theater subscriptions, normally a major revenue driver for the center, were down 82 per cent.

A Kennedy Center official said the comparisons reflected in those subscription sales were not accurate because the center had launched its subscription renewal campaign later in 2025 than 2024.

“Our renewal campaign is just kicking off,” Kim Cooper, senior vice president of marketing, said in a statement. Cooper noted the center had launched a new subscription option that allowed customers to “mix and match” genres and said more announcements of shows were coming.

The Kennedy Center depends on revenue from tickets and subscriptions as well as donations to operate. Ticket sales for “Les Miserables” have been robust, according to another Kennedy Center official.

Donors were asked to pay $100,000 to $2 million for the event, for which they could attend a reception before the performance, receive a photo with the president and be seated in good locations in the roughly 2,300-seat theater.

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CONSERVATIVE PROGRAMMING

“We’ve raised a little more than $10 million for tonight, which is pretty remarkable, and it’s an organization that needs the money right now,” said Ric Grenell, a close Trump ally and former ambassador to Germany, who is now president of the Kennedy Center.

Under his leadership, the center has sought to add conservative-leaning programming, including a show that Grenell has described as a celebration of the birth of Christ.

Trump said he particularly enjoyed “Les Miserables,” a musical that explores themes of injustice, poverty, law and order and acts of grace. “I’ve seen it many times, it’s one of my favorites,” he said. Secret Service agents inspected the prop guns used in the production and remained backstage for the show.

Vice President JD Vance, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also attended.

Vance was met with boos when he attended a Kennedy Center show with his wife earlier this year. He said on Wednesday that such reactions came with the territory of holding national office.

When initiating his takeover of the center, Trump zeroed in on drag shows to argue that it had lost its way. But multiple upcoming shows on the Kennedy Center’s agenda include characters dressed in drag, such as “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Chicago.”

Other musicals in addition to “Hamilton” have pulled out, according to a former Kennedy Center official.

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