The audience at The Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts gave a mixed reaction to President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump as they arrived on Tuesday night (March 31), which was dominated by very audible booing from people in the crowd.
Video of the moment shows the couple arriving in their box seats, with Trump waving to the crowd with a stoic expression as members of the audience stood to greet him. Booing can be heard at the outset in the clip from CBS News reporter Aaron Navarro, while a faction of the crowd began to cheer and clap to presumably drown them out.
According to the Daily Beast, President Trump and the First Lady’s appearance at the premiere of the musical Chicago at The Kennedy Center was unannounced. Melania Trump was dressed in a fringed white dress, evoking the flapper style seen in the musical, which is set in 1920s Chicago, centering on themes of corruption and celebrity crime.
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The moment comes as Trump continues his MAGA-influenced takeover of The Kennedy Center, which includes a highly controversial move to add his name to the exterior of the building after the board (handpicked by him) voted on it last December.
The Kennedy Center is set to close on July 4 for a proposed $200 million renovation, based on Trump’s assertion that the current complex is “in very bad shape, it’s rundown, it’s dilapidated.” It has led to numerous musicians and artists cancelling their scheduled performances at The Kennedy Center, resulting in slumping ticket sales.
Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio filed a motion in D.C. Circuit Court to halt the renaming this week. “Donald Trump’s attempt to rename the Kennedy Center after himself is not just an act of ego. It is an attempt to subvert our Constitution and the rule of law. Congress established the Kennedy Center by law, and only Congress can change its name,” she said in a statement to NPR.
