The President’s attendance marked his first return to the theater since he controversially fired much of its leadership and promised to rid the institution of what he called its “woke” programming.
Staged boycott
In the days leading up to the show, CNN confirmed that some cast members of “Les Misérables” planned to boycott the performance in protest of Trump’s attendance.
The production reportedly gave the cast the option to bow out of that evening’s show, and several key performers, including lead actors and ensemble members, chose not to take the stage in what appeared to be a quiet yet powerful protest.
When asked before the show about the public outcry, Trump said: “I couldn’t care less. Honestly, I couldn’t. All I do is run the country well.”
Drag queens
And, according to NPR, some ticket-holders donated their seats to drag performers, adding another layer of defiant flair to the night.
“It was protest by taking up space,” Tara Hoot, one of the attending queens, told the outlet. “We wanted to support the artists and bring attention to the drag ban at the Kennedy Center by showing up and being gorgeous.”
