President Donald Trump may have declared an end to drag shows at the Kennedy Center, but that didn’t stop drag queens from showing up on a big night out for MAGA.
Four drag queens were welcomed with resounding cheers on Wednesday as they walked into the storied arts institution for the gala opening of Les Misérables, which the president and First Lady Melania Trump also attended.
Videos posted on X showed the performers donning voluminous curls and colorful gowns as they walked toward their seats while the crowd applauded them.
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It was the first big night for the Kennedy Center since Trump installed himself as its president and appointed loyalist Ric Grenell as executive director. Trump vowed in February to remake the renowned cultural center in his image: “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA — ONLY THE BEST.”
Qommittee, a network of drag queens and fans, earlier told NPR that four to six performers planned to attend the big gala using tickets donated by attendees who chose to snub the event after Trump’s takeover.
Vagenesis, whose real name is Anderson Wells, told the radio network that she “couldn’t deny” speaking out against Trump’s sweeping overhaul of the Kennedy Center.
“Theater is supposed to be a place of community, a place of storytelling, a place of celebration, joy, catharsis, and it should be open and available to all,” she said.
At least 10 cast members of Les Misérables, one of Trump’s favorite musicals, decided to skip the event, highlighting the tensions between the president and members of the performing arts center over the pivot to what the president perceives as “non-woke” programming.
Asked on Wednesday about the actors who were planning to boycott him, Trump said, “I couldn’t care less!”
“All I do is run the country well,” he said. “There’s no inflation. People are happy. People are wealthy. The country is getting back to strength again… That’s what I care about.”
