On March 13, members of the audience at the Kennedy Center were unapologetic with their chorus of boos when they spotted Vice President JD Vance, who despite the cold reception, waved awkwardly at his critics.
Before the symphony had a chance to play its first note, Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha were given an icy welcome from the audience whose boos bounced off the walls at the Kennedy Center, which was earlier taken over by Donald Trump.
In February, Trump dismissed the Kennedy Center board’s chairman and 13 trustees, appointing himself as the new chair and bringing in Richard Grenell, a staunch ally and foreign policy adviser, as interim director. The move sparked controversy in artistic circles, raising concerns over political interference in the nation’s premier cultural institution.
“So we took over the Kennedy Center,” said Trump, who since the takeover cancelled 20 shows at the venue. “We didn’t like what they were showing and various other things. We’re going to make sure that it’s good and it’s not going to be woke. There’s no more woke in this country.”
By “no more woke,” Trump means: “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA – ONLY THE BEST,” according to a February 20 post shared on Truth Social.
Symphony delayed
On March 13, guests at the Kennedy Center were eager to hear the National Symphony Orchestra perform Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 2, followed by Stravinsky’s “Petrushka,” but heightened security measures delayed the concert by 25 minutes.
Audience members underwent full Secret Service screenings as Vance’s motorcade arrived, an unusual disruption for a venue known for its seamless performances.
Before the lights dimmed Vance, 40, and Usha were ushered to the empty second-floor balcony, where couple sat with a handful of agents.
And you can’t be Vance without getting noticed.
‘Ruined this place’
Andrew Roth, an eagle-eyed global affairs correspondent for the Guardian, was the first to spot the vice president in the box.
“JD Vance,” Roth can be heard saying at the start of the clip that has 1.3 million views on X in less than 24 hours.
Instead of polite applause or quiet acknowledgment, a wave of disapproval swept through the hall, and it was anything but harmonious.
Vance was met with a chorus of boos and jeers from the audience – a stark departure from the usual decorum of a symphony crowd.
As Vance sat down, one man could be heard yelling, “Boo!” and then a woman says, “Oh f***.”
According to the Guardian, one audience member reportedly shouted at Vance “You ruined this place,” although it could not be heard video from the hall with the incredible acoustics.
As more members of the audience realized Vance was in attendance, the boos intensified, growing louder and more unified throughout the concert hall.
But Vance seemed unfazed by the hateful crowds and before turning to chat with his wife, he sipped his wine and offered a wave to his critics below.
‘Bravo, America’
Meanwhile, the online community wasted no time reacting to the viral clip.
“What horrible behavior! Vice President Vance deserves respect, he has earned it,” shares one user who condemned the boos. A second shares, “These people have the brains of children…make insane asylums great again.”
“Booed by boomers. Can’t recall ever seeing such widespread disdain, let alone just [seven] weeks in,” writes one neutral netizen.
Boos for JD Vance as he enters tonight’s concert at the Kennedy Center pic.twitter.com/IWTsJUWjCR
— Andrew Roth (@Andrew__Roth) March 13, 2025
But, the majority of the online population supported the jeers, suggesting that Vance should be “booed everywhere he goes for the rest of his life.”
“[JD Vance] getting the respect that’s owed to him. Bravo, America!” shared one user.
“It’s genuinely disgusting that the Vice President of the U.S. is giddy over being booed. There was a time when politicians actually cared about public outrage…Now? It’s a game,” offers a second.
“Trump will now declare the Kennedy Center audience are domestic terrorists,” Another tweets.
Grenell addressed the backlash and condemned the audience’s reaction as “intolerant.”
“It troubles me to see that so many in the audience appear to be white and intolerant of diverse political views. Diversity is our strength. We must do better. We must welcome EVERYONE. We will not allow the Kennedy Center to be an intolerant place,” the center’s new president tweeted March 14.
For Vance, the moment underscored the challenges of stepping into one of the most scrutinized political roles in the country. And for the Kennedy Center, it was yet another chapter in the ongoing debate over the intersection of politics and the arts.
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