Trump’s visit to the Kennedy Center with his wife, Vice President and Second Lady was his first time attending a show at the iconic art venue.
Trump pledges to overhaul the Kennedy Center, saying it’s devastated
After JD Vance was booed at the concert, Trump toured the Kennedy Center, claiming it was “devastated” and promised an overhaul of the Cultural Center.
- JD Vance was booed during his visit to the Kennedy Center in March.
- After Trump fired board members and appointed chairman, the production of “Hamilton” cancelled the run at the center.
- The President, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Vance, and Second Lady Ushavance will see the production of “Les Miserables.”
President Donald Trump goes to the theatre – he has re-evaluated his leadership as part of an effort to incorporate “Les Miserables” at the Kennedy Center and transform some of the country’s major institutions.
Trump’s June 11 visit to the Kennedy Center with his wife Melania Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance will be his first attendance at a show at the iconic art venue, after he appointed chairman and established an alliance. Richard Grenell is Trump’s special mission envoy and the new president of the Kennedy Center.
The evening show is a rare reveal for Trump on Washington’s nightlife and comes after Vance was booed at the previous Kennedy Center Show. The president did not attend the Kennedy Center show during his first term, but has been keen to the venue since reclaiming the White House.
Trump’s second term features efforts to exercise more control over prominent institutions, from Harvard University to the Smithsonian, as part of the culture war agenda. The president complains about “wake-up” programming and “drug shows” at the Kennedy Center.
The fallout from Trump’s movement at the center was quick. The musical “Hamilton” cancelled plans to appear there, staff left, and individual tickets for the subscription sale and Kennedy Center show were dropped, the two explained the data.
According to Reuters, subscription revenues for the entire year-over-year declined 36% in early June, beginning in the fall, to $2.8 million. Typically, the center’s main revenue driver, theatre subscriptions fell by 82%.
Kennedy Center officials told Reuters that the comparisons reflected in those subscription sales were not accurate as the center launched a subscription renewal campaign later in 2024.
“Our update campaign is kick-off,” Kim Cooper, senior vice president of marketing, said in a statement. Cooper also said the center will launch new subscription options and allow customers to “mix and match” genres, with more announcements coming for the show.
The Kennedy Center relies on revenue from tickets and subscriptions and donations.
“President Trump cares deeply about American art and culture, and is revitalizing historical institutions like the Kennedy Center to previous greatness,” White House spokesman Anna Kelly said in a statement.
Trump’s appearance in Les Miserables, a show about opposing government citizens, comes just days after he dispatched the US Marines and National Guard to quell protests against his administration’s immigration attack in Los Angeles.
Contributions: Reuters, Joey Garrison
