JD And Usha Vance Greeted With Boos At The Kennedy Center
Photo: Screengrab/Andrew Roth/Guardian
India-West News Desk
WASHINGTON, DC- Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, faced a jeering crowd at the Kennedy Center on the night of March 13 as they attended a National Symphony Orchestra performance. The loud boos from the audience highlighted the growing controversy over President Donald Trump’s aggressive takeover of the center, which have sparked resignations and cancellations within the arts community.
A video showed Vance responding to the jeers with a defiant smile and waving to the crowd while his wife looked over at him and exchanged a few words with him.
Shouts of “you ruined this place!” could also be heard among the boos. The couple remained for the entire concert.
The backlash follows Trump’s recent shake-up of the Kennedy Center’s leadership. The president of the most powerful country in the world wanted to and did appoint himself chairman of an arts center. As one critic said at the time, it is like the governor of a state wanting to be the PTA head at an elementary school. Usha Vance is among the new Kennedy Center board members that he named.
Trump defended his actions on his social media platform, stating, “At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. GREAT AGAIN.” He added that leadership changes were necessary to usher in “America’s Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”
The restructuring has led to several high-profile resignations, further intensifying tensions. Musician Ben Folds, a longtime advocate for expanding symphonic music’s reach, stepped down from his role as artistic adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra, stating, “It’s been a wonderful eight years.” Opera singer Renée Fleming and actress and comedian Issa Rae are among others who have quite.
Additionally, the producers of the Broadway musical Hamilton canceled their planned performances at the Kennedy Center, citing opposition to what they described as Trump’s “partisan policies.”
The Kennedy Center has long been a significant cultural institution in Washington, D.C.
