Donald Trump may have shaken up the Kennedy Center by removing the old board members and appointing himself as the new chairman, but the audience there didn’t seem to be on board with the changes.
When Trump’s Vice President, JD Vance, walked to his seat in the balcony, the crowd started booing. After sitting down, Vance waved, spoke to his wife, Usha Vance — who Trump recently put on the board — and smiled. The boos then grew louder and spread throughout the venue.
The event that night appeared to be a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra, though the Kennedy Center’s schedule has been cleared after the recent leadership changes.
This incident comes after several artists decided to cancel their performances at the Kennedy Center in protest of the new leadership. For example, the producers of Hamilton canceled plans for a 2026 run of the show. TV producer Shonda Rhimes resigned from the board, and actress Issa Rae pulled out of a scheduled performance.
Meanwhile, Trump has been facing criticism after the Kennedy Center canceled the children’s musical Finn on tour. On February 20, The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC also expressed their “deep disappointment” after the Kennedy Center canceled their Pride performance, A Peacock Among Pigeons, which was to be part of a collaboration with the National Symphony Orchestra.
Earlier in February, Trump announced plans to “Make the Kennedy Center GREAT AGAIN” and remove anyone who didn’t share his vision for the arts. He fired the former chairman, David Rubenstein, and the president, Deborah Rutter. He also removed board members appointed by Joe Biden. With his allies now in charge, Trump made himself the chairman, and one of his supporters, Ric Grenell, became the president.
Grenell responded to the booing video, saying, “The intolerant Left are radicals who can’t even sit in the same room with people that don’t vote like they do. What has happened to today’s Democrats? They are so intolerant.”
Trump, on the other hand, criticized the Kennedy Center for what he called “woke” programming, pointing out events like drag shows. After his leadership changes, the Kennedy Center also canceled a concert planned for World Pride celebrations.
“We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!” he said. “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!”
You can watch the moment 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
