Overview

• Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, faced loud boos from the audience upon their late arrival at the Kennedy Center for a National Symphony Orchestra concert on Thursday night.
• The hostile reception follows President Donald Trump's recent overhaul of the Kennedy Center, including firing its board of trustees, appointing himself chairman, and implementing changes critics say reflect a far-right agenda.
• Trump's actions have led to the cancellation of LGBTQ+ programming, the resignation of prominent artists, and protests from cultural leaders and activists who accuse the administration of censorship and erasing diversity in the arts.
• Richard Grenell, Trump’s appointee as interim head of the Kennedy Center, defended the institution's new direction but expressed concern over the audience's intolerance toward differing political views.
• Despite the disruption, the National Symphony Orchestra delivered a well-received performance of works by Shostakovich and Stravinsky, though the evening was overshadowed by political tensions.