Vice President J.D. Vance had a memorable night at the theater Thursday, but it was probably not in the way that he wanted. The politician was booed loudly as he entered the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
The icy reception was caught on camera by The Guardian‘s Andrew Roth at a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra. The footage shows Vance smiling and waving to the crowd from his box seat as the jeers continued.
See the moment in the video below.
It was just last month that President Donald Trump cleared the board of members who had been appointed by former President Joe Biden, eschewing the tradition of keeping it bipartisan. He installed the vice president’s wife, Usha Vance, and the president’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, on the board. Deborah F. Rutter, who had been president of the Kennedy Center since 2014, was fired. New board in place, they then elected Trump as chairman of the beloved cultural institution.
In the wake of Trump’s changes, numerous celebrities made their distaste known. Producer and Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes resigned from her post as treasurer for the board. Musician Ben Folds ended his tenure as an artistic adviser to the NSO.
Soprano Renée Fleming resigned as an artistic adviser to the venue as well, noting that she thought she should depart “out of respect” for the leaders leaving.
Producer and actress Issa Rae announced Feb. 13 that she was canceling her upcoming, sold-out performance because of what had transpired. “Unfortunately, due to what I believe to be an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums, I’ve decided to cancel my appearance at this venue,” Rae said. “All tickets will be refunded. Thank you so much for understanding and I hope to see you soon.”
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Several other performances, including the hit musical Hamilton, have been canceled.
The Kennedy Center is “a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy” that was established in 1964.
Trump has said that he intends to make the Kennedy Center a “very special and exciting place!”
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