JD Vanceâs attendance Thursday night at a show at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., wasnât appreciated by many in the audienceâand they made that known very loudly.
The vice president and second lady Usha Vance had arrived at the venue to catch a concert by the National Symphony Orchestra, which, according to The New York Times, performed Shostakovichâs Violin Concerto No. 2 under the guidance of director Gianandrea Noseda, with Leonidas Kavakos as the soloist. Stravinskyâs âPetrushkaâ was played after the intermission.
After taking their seats in the mezzanine a chorus of boos rang out, according to a video posted on X by Guardian reporter Andrew Roth.
The Washington Post also captured video of the moment. According to the Times, the chorus of boos lasted approximately 30 seconds. Vance could be seen waving to the audience and the couple stayed for the entire concert, according to audience members who spoke anonymously.
Usha Vance was recently named by Donald Trump as a board member of the Kennedy Center, part of the presidentâs purge of Democratic-appointed members.
Trump, now chairman of that entity, also brought on the likes of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Fox News host Laura Ingraham, and Fox Business Network host Maria Bartiromo.
Several performers have reacted to the takeover of the once-prestigious institution by boycotting shows or otherwise backing out of scheduled performances. Among them are Rhiannon Giddens, Whoopi Goldberg, and Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller.
Ticket sales at the Kennedy Center reportedly fell by about half in the week after Trump fired several board members appointed by former President Joe Biden.
Trump has claimed that the vote by the board to make him chairman was unanimous, though CNN reported otherwise.
