President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attended a performance of Les Mis\u00e9rables at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday night, accompanied by Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha. The show featured understudies, and Trump\u2019s appearance sparked controversy due to planned protests from some performers.<\/p>\n
On the red carpet, a reporter asked Trump how he felt about the actors\u2019 planned boycott. \u201cI couldn\u2019t care less, all I do is run the country well,\u201d he responded<\/p>\n
This marked Trump\u2019s first visit to the Kennedy Center since appointing himself chairman in February, after dismissing several board members. He also named Richard Grenell as executive director. At the time, Trump criticized the center for its condition and claimed prior leadership promoted drag shows targeting youth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to bring it back better than ever,\u201d Trump said, promising renovations and a return to traditional programming.<\/p>\n
Following these changes, stars like Shonda Rhimes and Ben Folds cut ties with the center. Pride Month events and LGBTQ-themed programming, including the children\u2019s musical Finn, were canceled or moved, triggering backlash.<\/p>\n
In response, drag queens crashed Wednesday\u2019s performance in protest. Videos shared online showed moments of applause and cheers from parts of the audience.<\/p>\n
Trump praised Grenell\u2019s leadership and reminisced about his first theater experience, saying it was likely Cats. When asked whether he identified more with Javert or Jean Valjean from Les Mis\u00e9rables, Trump laughed and deferred the question to Melania, who remained silent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"