CNN’s Stelter Predicts Boycotted Les Mis Show Will Be ‘A Rousing Celebration of Trump!’
CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter said a boycott-threatened performance of Les Misérables will be a “rousing celebration of (President Donald) Trump,” contrasting it with a show at which Vice President JD Vance was jeered.
Trump’s hostile takeover of the Kennedy Center has prompted backlash that has included the jeering of Vance and his family at a performance in March, protests from artists, and a threatened boycott by at least ten Les Mis cast members for a performance that Trump will attend Wednesday night.
On Wednesday’s edition of CNN News Central, Stelter told co-anchor Kate Bolduan that he expects Trump’s experience to be quite different from Vance’s, and that “we’re not going to be hearing boos tonight” with a supportive MAGA crowd in attendance:
KATE BOLDUAN: Brian, one would guess that is not what he — what the president is going to receive tonight when he shows up, but what is expected tonight?
BRIAN STELTER: Right. The boos remind me of the Les Mis song “Do You Hear the People Sing?” Now, I’m not going to sing it but now it’ll be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. That’s the beauty of this musical.
But we’re not going to be hearing boos tonight. Tonight is going to be a rousing celebration of Trump, as well as the Kennedy Center. There’s going to be a red carpet rollout for this season premiere. It’s also a big fundraising opportunity as Trump does try to reshape the Kennedy Center in his image. So certainly for MAGA supporters, for Trump allies, this is a hot-
ticket event. It’s a red carpet night. And I think we’re going to very much see Trump and his allies showing up tonight in force trying to show that the Kennedy Center is changing to suit Trump’s times.
He has been very critical of programming at the Kennedy Center in the past, saying that this place was rampant with political propaganda and DEI. He says he’s erased all of that and he’s bringing in friendlier content.
There’s been so much criticism of his evolution at the Kennedy Center so I’m really curious to see how he is received tonight and whether this Kennedy Center operation is able to pay the bills and grow in the future. We know this is a big fundraising opportunity for the president because some shows have been canceled. Some performers have been loathe to perform there. Ticket sales are down according to reporting at The New York Times and The Washington Post.
So this reshaping of the Kennedy Center is a complicated endeavor, and, in some ways, this is a — it’s all highlighted tonight with the opening of Les Mis.
Watch above via CNN News Central.
