Video: Trump Met with Boos, Cheers and Drag Queens at LES MISÉRABLES Kennedy Center Opening

Donald J. Trump made his first formal appearance at the Kennedy Center since returning to office, attending the official opening of Les Misérables on Wednesday evening. See video from inside the auditorium below.

Trump arrived in full tuxedo alongside First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and newly installed Kennedy Center board members Maria Bartiromo and Laura Ingraham. Ric Grenell, the president’s handpicked interim head of the Center, was also on site.

Audience reactions to Trump’s arrival were mixed, with cheers, boos, and a chant of “USA!” all echoed through the lobby as patrons passed through enhanced security screenings. Meanwhile, several drag performers staged a silent protest by attending in full regalia in a defiant nod to the administration’s recent rhetoric about eliminating “woke” and queer-inclusive programming from federally supported arts institutions.

The production of Les Misérables went on despite internal disruption. Several cast members reportedly declined to perform in protest of the administration’s influence. When asked about the boycott, President Trump responded bluntly: “I couldn’t care less.”

That sentiment echoed a broader theme of the evening. Since taking office in January, Trump has taken sweeping action to reshape the Kennedy Center in his image: dismissing the existing board and artistic leadership, naming himself chairman, and pledging to rid the institution of programming he deemed “Marxist,” “anti-police,” and overly “politically correct.”

“We want to bring it back, and we want to bring it back better than ever,” Trump said on the carpet, vowing to restore what he called “American values” to the national stage.

Despite Trump's optimistic outlook, the institution's subscription numbers have dropped sharply, high-profile artists such as Issa Rae, Rhiannon Giddens, Renée Fleming, and Ben Folds have canceled appearances or resigned from advisory roles, and the upcoming tour of Hamilton has pulled out entirely from its planned run at the Center.