Trump and Melania attend ‘Chicago’ musical opening night at Kennedy Center amid boos and cheers

WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump along with his wife Melania Trump was one of the attendees of the opening night of the musical ‘Chicago’ at the Kennedy Center. He received a mixed reaction from the crowd but boos were reportedly drowned out by louder cheers.

The president’s Tuesday, March 31, visit was believed to be his last at the center, as the performing arts institution will soon be closed for two years for renovation on Trump's orders.

Trump says Kennedy Center renovation will make it 'far better'

Earlier this month, he had reportedly said, “I think everybody agrees, but subject to board approval, we determined that the fastest way to bring the Trump-Kennedy Center to the highest level of beauty and grandeur is to cease the entertainment operations for a two-year period of time as we complete really high-quality construction.”

“The best way to do it is close it – do it properly, and reopen and have a grand reopening. When it’s finished, it’s going to be far better than it was when it was originally built,” he added.

Also, the commander in chief and the first lady were seen for the first time together at the Kennedy Center since the January premiere of the ‘Melania’, where Trump called his wife "big movie star" and claimed the documentary was "the biggest-selling documentary in 20 years".

Trump attended opening night of ‘Les Misérables’ last year

Trump was also present for the opening-night performance of ‘Les Misérables’ in June 2025. At the time, he was booed as well as cheered.

Meanwhile, as per reports, the other attendees of the Tuesday show had no idea about Trump’s visit but they liked his presence. Bobi Jo Swartz, 38, an EMT and paramedic firefighter from the Harpers Ferry area in West Virginia, said, “I love it. I'm glad that he's a part of it.”

Trump skips CPAC meeting due to busy schedule

This came after Trump missed this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held this year in Grapevine, Texas, over the weekend. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt justified his absence by claiming the Republican leader had been very busy because of the Iran war and other major matters.

Trump still “loves CPAC and has a very good relationship with the great people who run it — Mercedes and Matt Schlapp,” Leavitt told White House reporters at the press briefing on Monday.

She further added that “it was just simply for scheduling purposes this year, with it being in Texas, it was best for the president’s schedule and what he has on his plate right now not to [attend].”