Shouts of ‘felon’ and ‘we love you’: Inside Trump’s charged visit to the Kennedy Center

President Donald Trump drew both admiration and ire at the Kennedy Center’s opening night of Les Miserables – with a greeting of cheers and boos, drama at intermission and drag queens in the audience.

President Donald Trump drew charged reactions of both admiration and ire at the Kennedy Center’s opening night of “Les Misérables” – with a greeting of cheers and boos, drama at intermission and drag queens in the audience. When the lights came on after the end of the first act Wednesday, many people cheered and clapped as the president and First Lady Melania Trump stood up. But a woman below, seated in the orchestra section, started yelling: “Felon, you’re a convicted felon.” As cheers died down, and Trump walked out, her voice became clearer: “Convicted felon, rapist!” A security guard quickly approached, appearing to escort her out. As the crowd waited anxiously for Trump to return to his seat, someone yelled out: “F**k Trump,” and the crowd responded by cheering and clapping loudly. Some yelled out: “We love you.” Others booed, and then an even louder cheer erupted when Trump appeared again. He pumped his fist in the air three times – reminiscent of how he rallied his supporters after an assassination attempt against him last year in Pennsylvania, when he made the same motion and shouted to the crowd: “Fight, fight, fight.” The night was emblematic of Trump’s approach in his second administration. Shunned from much of the cultural milieu of deep-blue Washington, DC, in his first term, he largely ignored it. This time, an emboldened Trump has seized control of one of the premiere cultural spots in the city, installing allies on the board who named him chairman and announcing plans to adjust the decor and schedule to his liking.