Donald Trump’s appearance at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday night wasn’t just another presidential outing - it was a full-blown political drama.
The 78-year-old, who turns 79 this weekend, showed up to the opening night of Les Misérables with his wife Melania.
It marked Trump’s first return to the Kennedy Center since he fired the previous leadership and installed his own board, promising to eliminate what he called “woke” programming.
“The Kennedy Center is coming back,” Trump declared. “It was not properly taken care of, and we are taking it back, and we are going to turn it back into something great.”
That “greatness,” according to critics, now comes with a price. Trump’s sweeping changes to the Center included axing 18 traditional board members and replacing them with political loyalists like Susie Wiles, Laura Ingraham, and Maria Bartiromo, Sky News reported.
He had already signaled his disdain for previous programming, saying: “Drag shows specifically targeting our youth… We didn’t like what they were showing, we’re going to make sure it’s good and it’s not going to be woke.”
As the president strolled down the red carpet with Melania, reporters asked about the revelation that certain ticket holders had donated their seats to drag performers in protest of his attendance.
Unfazed, Trump fired back: “I couldn’t care less, honestly, I couldn’t. All I do is run the country well. The economic numbers you saw them today, they’re setting records," cited by The Independent.
"We took $88 billion in tariffs in two months, far beyond what anybody expected. There’s no inflation. People are happy. People are wealthy. The country is getting back to strength again. That’s what I care about,” he added.
For the record, inflation is currently at 2.35% as of May 2025 - slightly higher than last month’s 2.31% but down from 3.27% a year ago.
Inside the venue, Trump took his seat in the presidential box and was met with a clash of boos and cheers. Some in the audience jeered loudly, as captured in videos posted online by Reuters White House Correspondent Jeff Mason.
Others countered: “Those aren’t boos, they are chanting ‘I love YYOOOOUUUUUUUUU’ !!” Yet another viewer wasn’t having it: “WHO would cheer for this man especially at a place he tore up because he can’t stand diversity in anything!!”
The tension wasn’t just felt - it was visible. Blurry video clips revealed patches of empty seats in both the balcony and orchestra sections, adding fuel to the fire of speculation that some attendees and performers skipped the show altogether in protest.
Various outlets confirmed that several performers were planning to sit out the night. Understudies reportedly stepped in, but the Kennedy Center hasn’t disclosed just how many main cast members actually walked.
Still, the political heavyweights came out in full force, alongside the president and First Lady Melania, Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha took their seats.
Ric Grenell, the Trump-appointed interim Kennedy Center head, mingled nearby. Attorney General Pam Bondi made an appearance, and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was spotted taking selfies with guests, per The Mirror.
And this wasn’t just any night at the theater - it was a money-making machine. Some donors reportedly shelled out up to $2 million for a seat at a private reception with Trump.
It’s hard to ignore the symbolism as the president's cultural comeback took place during a musical that dives headfirst into themes of uprising, poverty, and resistance.
A show where oppressed citizens rise against power, and Trump was right there in the box seat. He’s even used the musical’s anthem “Do You Hear the People Sing?” at his rallies, a detail not lost on the internet.