VP Vance Jeered at Kennedy Center Concert
Sarah Johnson
March 14, 2025
Brief
Vice President JD Vance was booed at the Kennedy Center during a National Symphony Orchestra event, highlighting tensions and political divides amid recent leadership changes at the institution.
Vice President JD Vance faced a less-than-welcoming crowd at the Kennedy Center on Thursday night, as attendees jeered him during a National Symphony Orchestra concert. A video shared by The Guardian's Global Affairs correspondent Andrew Roth captured the moment, showing Vance waving from a balcony beside his wife, Usha, while boos filled the air.
The incident quickly became a flashpoint for political commentary. Richard Grenell, Presidential Envoy for Special Missions and a key figure in the Kennedy Center's leadership, labeled the reaction as a symbol of "intolerance" from the political left. He remarked, "The intolerant Left are radicals who can’t even sit in the same room with people that don’t vote like they do. What has happened to today’s Democrats? They are so intolerant." Strong words, but Grenell clearly didn’t mince them.
Fox News Digital reached out to Vance's team for comment, but they didn't provide a response. Meanwhile, the Kennedy Center director has emphasized inclusivity, encouraging Republicans to attend events and declaring that "everyone is welcome." That sentiment, however, might have felt a little hollow Thursday night.
Vance, who authored the bestselling memoir "Hillbilly Elegy," has previously expressed his surprise at the cultural differences between America's elites and its working class. "I was astonished when I learned that people listened to classical music for pleasure," Vance once said in an interview with The New York Times. Whether his astonishment translated into affection for the genre remains unclear.
The Kennedy Center itself has been undergoing significant changes under former President Donald Trump’s influence. Last month, Trump announced a sweeping shakeup of the center's leadership, including replacing the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and appointing Grenell as interim executive director. Trump himself now serves as the Board Chair, with his wife Melania and Usha Vance among the newly named trustees. The shakeup, framed as a "Golden Age in Arts and Culture," has stirred debates about the intersection of politics and the arts—a debate that Thursday’s jeering only amplified.
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Editor's Comments
Boos at a classical concert? That’s a new level of drama for the Kennedy Center. While Grenell is quick to call out intolerance, you can’t ignore the irony of a cultural institution becoming a battleground for political divides. It’s almost Shakespearean—the arts meant to unify now reflecting our sharpest divisions. JD Vance’s shock over classical music enjoyment is also amusing. Guess some surprises never fade, even when you're sitting on a balcony in the middle of it all.
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