The revolution was on stage and in the seats. On Wednesday, June 11, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were met with loud boos from the audience at the Kennedy Center as they attended opening night of Les Misérables. The musical, based on Victor Hugo’s tale of revolution and poverty in 19th-century France, made for a poetically charged backdrop to the reception Trump received.
Videos posted to X (formerly Twitter) captured the moment the couple entered and exited the venue. While a few cheers can be heard, they are overwhelmed by a chorus of disapproval.
Also in attendance were Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha Vance. The couple previously faced similar heckling from Kennedy Center audiences in March.
Donald Trump is booed at the Kennedy Center pic.twitter.com/OJYRIoRFQX
— FactPost (@factpostnews) June 12, 2025
The Cast Refused to Perform—Because Trump Was in the Audience
But the audience wasn’t the only one protesting.
According to a CNN report from May, at least 10 of the 12 cast members scheduled to perform that evening opted out. Sources confirmed that the actors were given the choice to abstain from the performance due to Trump’s planned attendance. Both ensemble members and leading cast declined to take the stage.
The protest was in direct response to Trump’s decision, just days into his second term, to install himself as chairman of the Kennedy Center and purge much of its liberal leadership. In their place, he appointed a new conservative board, led by political ally and former diplomat Richard Grenell, who now serves as interim director.
Grenell defended the cast boycott ban, saying:
“Any performer who isn’t professional enough to perform for patrons of all backgrounds, regardless of political affiliation, won’t be welcomed.”
See also: “No Kings” Protests Will Erupt Nationwide on Trump’s Birthday
Do You Hear the People Boo?
The irony was not lost on anyone familiar with Les Misérables. Trump has long expressed admiration for the musical, even incorporating its iconic protest anthem, “Do You Hear the People Sing?,” into both his 2016 and 2024 campaigns.
The lyrics are unmistakably revolutionary:
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing the song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
Yet the creators of the show have repeatedly distanced themselves from Trump’s political use of their work. In a 2022 statement, producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh and the musical’s creators condemned Trump’s unauthorized use of the song.
Still, Trump seems undeterred. The U.S. Army Chorus recently performed the anthem at the 2025 White House Governors Ball, and Trump continues to brand himself with its imagery—despite standing on the wrong side of the barricade.
See also: Seattle’s Police Chief Shon Barnes Says No to Trump and ICE—And Yes to the First Amendment
A Performance Within a Performance
Trump attending Les Misérables at the Kennedy Center was always going to be rich with irony. This is a story about revolution, about the poor rising against the rich, about fighting a corrupt regime that wields the law as a weapon. And on that night, as Trump walked into the theater flanked by Melania, boos rained down not just because he showed up, but because of what he represented—especially in that setting.
It was never just a show. Not on stage, and certainly not in the seats.
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