The Kennedy Center’s opening night of the musical “Chicago” drew a presidential audience in Washington on Tuesday as President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump sat through the performance, with security measures in place as the first lady and the president arrived. As the couple entered the venue, some in the crowd booed, but the applause from other attendees overwhelmed the jeers, the report said.
Trump’s appearance at the Kennedy Center came shortly after he signed an executive order aimed at expanding a nationwide effort to create a list of “verified eligible voters” and to restrict mail-in voting. State Democratic officials issued swift legal threats in response to the order, according to the report.
The Trumps’ outing was also described as their first time together at the Kennedy Center since the premiere of the documentary “Melania” in January. The Republican president also attended the opening-night performance of “Les Misérables” at the center last summer, when he was described as drawing both booing and cheering.
For some attendees, the presence of the president was unexpected even amid multiple layers of security. Bobi Jo Swartz, an EMT and paramedic firefighter from the Harpers Ferry area in West Virginia, said she was “definitely shocked” to pull up and see bomb-sniffing dogs checking vehicles, while also saying she “kind of figured” it could be Trump or Vice President JD Vance.
Swartz said she “love[s]” Trump’s participation and added, “I’m glad that he’s a part of it.” She also said she was not aware that the center would soon be closing, but described the remodeling plan as “awesome” and said, “Good for them.”
The report said the Kennedy Center will keep “Chicago” running at the Opera House through April 5. It also said the center will award the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to comedian Bill Maher on June 28—an event that Trump could also attend, according to the report.
The visit renewed attention on governance changes and a planned shutdown for renovations at the Kennedy Center. The report said that since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has had “tremendous influence” over the venue, including ousting previous leadership and replacing it with a handpicked board that named him chairman, added his name to the center, and approved a two-year closure.
Both the name change and the planned closure, the report said, have prompted legal proceedings that are ongoing. The report also noted that Trump’s attendance at Tuesday’s opening night came as the White House suggested that other major matters—including the war in Iran—kept him away from the Conservative Political Action Conference in suburban Dallas over the weekend, despite earlier CPAC appearances. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that it was “just simply for scheduling purposes this year,” adding that it was “best for the president’s schedule and what he has on his plate right now not to go,” and she said Trump “still ‘loves’” CPAC and has “a very good relationship with the great people who run it.”