J.D. Vance Booed at Kennedy Center Performance After Donald Trump Took Over Leadership

 

Vance’s wife Usha, who is a board member appointed by Trump, was also in attendance

Vice President J.D. Vance was booed while watching a performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after President Donald Trump took over leadership.

According to a video shared by The Guardian global affairs correspondent Andrew Roth on X, Thursday, March 13, Vance, 40, was quickly booed as he prepared to watch the National Symphony Orchestra and Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos perform Stravinsky’s Petrushka from a balcony seat. His wife, Usha Vance, was seen accompanying him.

As the vice president takes a seat, a man could be heard yelling, “Boo.” Another person is heard saying, “Oh f—.”

Vice president J.D. Vance.PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty

After more members of the audience became aware of Vance’s presence, the boos grew in unison, causing Vance to take a sip of his drink and wave at the audience sitting below him. As he continued speaking with his wife, the boos continued and lasted roughly 30 seconds, per The New York Times.

The response to Vance’s attendance at the Kennedy Center comes after Trump announced on the Truth Social platform Friday, Feb. 7, that he was taking control of the performing arts and cultural center.

“At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN. I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture. We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP,” he wrote at the time.

Donald Trump delivers remarks on the jobs report from the Oval Office at the White House on March 07, 2025.Anna Moneymaker/Getty

The Kennedy Center responded and said it had not received any communications from the White House regarding changes to our board of trustees, but was “aware that some members of our board have received termination notices from the administration.”

On Sunday, Feb. 9, while taking questions aboard Air Force One en route to the 2025 Super Bowl, Trump shared why he was interested in taking over the Kennedy Center.

“I want to make sure it runs properly. We don’t need woke at the Kennedy Center, and we don’t need — some of the shows were terrible. They were a disgrace that they were even put on,” he said. “So I’ll be there until such time that it is running right.”

Photo of the entrance to the Kennedy Center.Robert Knopes/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty

When asked if he’d ever seen a show at the Kennedy Center, Trump added, “No. I get reports they were so bad … I didn’t want to go. There was nothing I wanted to see.”

On Wednesday, Feb. 12, Trump was elected Chairman of the Board. Vance’s wife, Usha, was elected as one of the board members, per NPR.

Since Trump’s takeover, more than 20 shows have been canceled, Consequence reported. Issa Rae voluntarily canceled her performance of “An Evening with Issa Rae” at the center in February and Shonda Rhimes resigned from her role as treasurer.