Donald Trump, walking the red carpet Wednesday for the opening-night performance of Les Misérables at the Kennedy Center, again insisted that were it not for his federalizing of the National Guard, “Los Angeles right now, if we didn’t do what we did, would be burning to the ground.”
“These are radical left lunatics that you’re dealing with, and they’re tough, they’re smart, they probably have paid, many of them as you know. They’re professionals,” Trump told reporters. “… They’re chopping up concrete and using it as a weapon. That’s pretty bad.”
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California Governor Gavin Newsom opposed the National Guard order, and in a Tuesday evening speech said that Trump has only inflamed the situation.
The evening was Trump’s first visit to a Kennedy Center performance of this term, and the first since he engineered a takeover the the arts institution just weeks after returning to the White House. The president fired Joe Biden’s appointees to the Kennedy Center board, ensuring that it was dominated by his own allies. The Kennedy Center’s president, Deborah Rutter, also was axed, and Trump himself became chairman, ousting David Rubenstein.
Trump said that $10 million was raised at a VIP reception tied to the Les Miz performance. His tax package, now in the Senate, also called for more than $250 million to be spent on Kennedy Center renovations. “We want to bring it back, and bring it back better than ever,” Trump said. “It needs a little help from the standpoint of age and fitness.”
On the red carpet, Trump was peppered with questions ranging from the status of the Iran nuclear deal to the first performance he ever saw (it was Cats).
Asked about Elon Musk’s apology on X, posted early on Wednesday morning, Trump said, “I really haven’t thought too much about it.”
The president also addressed cast member plans to skip the Kennedy Center performance because of his attendance. “I couldn’t care less,” he said.
Earlier, Vice President JD Vance, on the red carpet with Second Lady Usha Vance, was asked about being booed earlier this year when he attended a performance. “That’s one of the things you sign up for. There were some boos and some cheers, and I am sure you will have a little bit of both today.”
The performance also was open to the public, and among those spotted were two men in drag. They declined to give their names or say whether they planned some kind of protest, but their presence itself is a statement. In taking over the center, Trump bashed what he saw as “woke” programming, and mentioned drag performances.
Per The New York Times, the drag performers drew applause as they took their seats.
Per Jeff Mason of Reuters, there were a combination of cheers and boos when Trump entered.
Among those attending were a mix of Trump allies and executive branch officials, quite a turn from the Biden years, and even from Trump’s first term. He skipped the Kennedy Center Honors in all four years the ceremony was held then.
Those spotted included Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr. and Cheryl Hines, and Laura Loomer. Corey Lewandowski said that it was his first time at the center, even though he said he has driven by it “1,000s of times.” “It’s pretty historic to have the opportunity to come to this very famous building,” he said.
Also attending was Matt Schlapp, the chair of CPAC, who said of the night’s Kennedy Center crowd, “I feel more welcome.”
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