CNN
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President Donald Trump drew charged reactions of both admiration and ire at the Kennedy Center’s opening night of “Les Misérables” – with a greeting of cheers and boos, drama at intermission and drag queens in the audience.
When the lights came on after the end of the first act Wednesday, many people cheered and clapped as the president and First Lady Melania Trump stood up. But a woman below, seated in the orchestra section, started yelling: “Felon, you’re a convicted felon.”
As cheers died down, and Trump walked out, her voice became clearer: “Convicted felon, rapist!” A security guard quickly approached, appearing to escort her out.
As the crowd waited anxiously for Trump to return to his seat, someone yelled out: “F**k Trump,” and the crowd responded by cheering and clapping loudly. Some yelled out: “We love you.” Others booed, and then an even louder cheer erupted when Trump appeared again.
He pumped his fist in the air three times – reminiscent of how he rallied his supporters after an assassination attempt against him last year in Pennsylvania, when he made the same motion and shouted to the crowd: “Fight, fight, fight.”
The night was emblematic of Trump’s approach in his second administration. Shunned from much of the cultural milieu of deep-blue Washington, DC, in his first term, he largely ignored it. This time, an emboldened Trump has seized control of one of the premiere cultural spots in the city, installing allies on the board who named him chairman and announcing plans to adjust the decor and schedule to his liking.
And, much like his approach to the negative reactions during the performance, he isn’t expressing much concern about his critics. His supporters are more than willing to drown out the naysayers.
When Trump first entered the theater, standing at the lip of the presidential box overlooking the crowd, he was met with loud cheers and boos. Then chants of “USA, USA, USA” broke out.
Darlene Webb, a self-identified Trump supporter since 2016, said the expletives and jeering just made her want to express her support more loudly.
“I just wanted to clap and yell over it, because at this type of performance I don’t think it was good for them to do that, professionally,” Webb said.
Cara Segur, a friend of Webb’s, said she “found it kind of ironic that he was here” given the subject matter of the musical.
In the backdrop of Wednesday night’s performance — the story of a former convict fighting for a second chance against a law enforcement officer’s dogged pursuit to put him back in prison — Trump has deployed the National Guard and hundreds…
Read More: Inside Trump’s charged visit to the Kennedy Center for opening night of
