Former President Donald Trump’s appearance at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday night became a flashpoint of national division, drawing cheers and jeers in equal measure. As he arrived with former First Lady Melania Trump for the opening of Les Misérables, a chorus of applause clashed with audible boos from parts of the audience. Outside the venue, small groups of protesters gathered, waving placards condemning the administration’s immigration policies and ongoing military deployment in Los Angeles.
The night marked a calculated return to the cultural stage for Trump, who used the event to announce a $10 million fundraising achievement for the Kennedy Center. His presence followed weeks of controversy after the cancellation of multiple performances by artists refusing to participate under Trump’s restored patronage. Ironically, the musical—centred on themes of resistance and revolution—provided a dramatic backdrop to a presidency still associated with political upheaval and authoritarianism.
Simultaneously, over 2,000 National Guard troops and nearly 700 active-duty Marines were deployed across Los Angeles as the city entered its second consecutive night under curfew. The military presence follows intensifying protests against a nationwide immigration crackdown that has led to thousands of detentions in recent weeks. Demonstrators in Los Angeles have taken to the streets to decry what they call “martial law in peacetime,” with many accusing the Trump-aligned federal government of breaching constitutional limits.
California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned the federal intervention as unlawful, with state officials filing emergency legal challenges in federal court. They argue that President Trump’s use of Title 10 military powers circumvents state authority and represents an erosion of civilian control. Meanwhile, civil liberties groups have expressed alarm at reports of troop movements near major protest sites and the use of military drones for crowd surveillance.
Inside the Kennedy Center, the spectacle was as political as it was theatrical. Drag performers seated near the presidential box staged a subtle protest, donning red sashes in response to Trump’s past efforts to curtail drag events at public venues. Though Trump did not directly address the protest, he told reporters upon leaving the performance that “the American people want strength and stability, not chaos in the streets.”
The symbolism of the evening did not go unnoticed. As Trump applauded a production that celebrates the downtrodden rising against power, thousands of Americans were demanding justice under curfewed skies. For critics, the dissonance highlighted the widening gap between Washington performance and American reality.
As legal battles unfold over the federal troop deployment, and protests in Los Angeles show no sign of abating, the contrast between red carpet glamour and military mobilisation may come to define this turbulent moment in 2025. The nation once again finds itself caught between spectacle and struggle—between the music of the barricades and the silence of occupied streets.
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