Drag artists who crashed Donald Trump's first Kennedy Center show want him to know: 'You can’t erase us'

The four mingled in a crowd filled with conservative legislators like Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan and several members of the Trump Administration, including Vice President JD Vance and Attorney General Pam Bondi, who Trump appointed to the board of the Kennedy Center in 2020. First Lady Melania Trump, Second Lady Usha Vance, Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr., adviser Corey Lewandowski, and MAGA pundit Laura Loomer were also in attendance.

When the group entered the theater, the crowd greeted them with cheers and applause — a much warmer reception than that given to Trump and Vance, who were loudly booed once their presence was known.

Trump announced a hostile takeover of the Kennedy Center in February, terminating trustees “who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.” He named himself board chair and vowed an end to drag shows at the venue — though the programming still includes quite a few shows prominently featuring men in dresses. Trump then named Richard Grenell, one of the highest-ranking out officials in his administration, as interim head of the center.

Rosé said that their group attended as a way to reclaim the center's purpose, explaining, "Beyond politics, the Kennedy Center was founded more than 50 years ago as a place meant to celebrate the arts in its truest, most extraordinary form, after even President Kennedy, himself, argued that culture had great practical value in an age of conflict."

"As someone who has had the distinct honor of sharing their artistic expression in the form of drag at the Kennedy Center more than once, it was an honor to support the cast of Les Misérables on their incredible opening night and take up space despite this administration’s attempt to erase us, especially after drawing a much more welcoming response than they did upon arrival," he said.

The artists received their tickets from season ticket holders at the Kennedy Center who donated them through Qommittee — a national advocacy network of drag artists and allies led by survivors of high-profile hate crimes such as the Pulse and Club Q mass shootings, a firebombing at an Ohio church, and an attack on a power grid in North Carolina.

Qommittee has launched a petition asking donors who contribute annually to the Kennedy Center to "suspend funding until artistic independence is restored" and instead "redirect support to banned or censored artists, artforms and the infrastructure that supports artistic freedom."

Trump’s attendance at Les Misérables marked the first show he attended since being elected to a second term. The musical tells the story of peasants seeking liberty and redemption during the early 19th century in the wake of the French Revolution.

It isn’t the first time figureheads from his administration have been met with ire during public outings — Vance attended a show in March where he was met by audience boos as well.

"In my story time events I do for kids and families, I often read books about being brave, being strong, and being true to who you are," Hoot said. "Showing up to the Kennedy Center with my fellow drag stars allowed me to live those words and lessons for all to see. Here’s to being brave, strong, and gorgeous."