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Senators Host Pride Concert at Kennedy Center to Challenge Trump’s Takeover

The invite-only performance at the center’s Justice Forum served as a direct response to Trump’s February overhaul of the board.

John Hickenlooper co-organised the Pride concert. (Getty)
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 08: Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of "Hamilton" perform onstage during The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
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Overview

  • Five Democratic senators—including John Hickenlooper, Tammy Baldwin, Jacky Rosen, Brian Schatz and Elizabeth Warren—organized the invitation-only “Love is Love” concert Monday to push back against Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center.
  • The concert was produced by Hamilton’s Jeffrey Seller and featured Broadway artists alongside the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington D.C. in a 90-minute “guerrilla theater” performance.
  • Trump installed himself as chairman in February after dismissing the center’s trustees and criticized LGBTQ+ programming as inappropriate for youth.
  • Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell said the venue remains open to all artists and accused boycotting performers of “cosplaying as victims of intolerance.”
  • Previous artist withdrawals, including Lin-Manuel Miranda’s and Seller’s cancellation of a planned 2026 Hamilton run, have highlighted ongoing disputes over the institution’s cultural direction.