President Donald Trump may have purged the Kennedy Center board and had himself elected its new chairman, but the venue’s patrons don’t seem to have gotten the message.
As Trump’s Vice President J.D. Vance walked to his seat in the balcony, a chorus of boos began. Once he was in his seat, Vance waved, said something to with second lady Usha Vance — whom Trump recently appointed to the board — and smiled. The boos then spread more broadly across the venue.
You can watch the moment, captured by The Guardian’s Global Affairs Correspondent Andrew Roth below.
Boos for JD Vance as he enters tonight’s concert at the Kennedy Center pic.twitter.com/IWTsJUWjCR
— Andrew Roth (@Andrew__Roth) March 13, 2025
While the venue’s calendar of events has been wiped clean, tonights event looks to have been a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra.
Watch on Deadline
The incident comes after Shonda Rhimes resigned from the institution’s board and Issa Rae canceled a show scheduled for the venue. Hamilton recently scrapped a tour stop at the Center.
Meanwhile, Trump has faced backlash from supporters after the Kennedy Center cancelled the touring children’s musical Finn.
On February 20, The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC also shared in a statement they were “deeply disappointed” after the Kennedy Center cancelled of A Peacock Among Pigeons, their Pride performance with the National Symphony Orchestra.
In early February, Trump threatened to make the Kennedy Center “GREAT AGAIN,” announcing his plan to remove those “who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”
“We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!” he added. “Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP. The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation. For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”
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