Shouts of ‘felon' and ‘we love you': Inside Trump's charged visit to the Kennedy Center
President Donald Trump drew charged reactions of both admiration and ire at the Kennedy Center's opening night of 'Les Misérables' – with a greeting of cheers and boos, drama at intermission and drag queens in the audience.
When the lights came on after the end of the first act Wednesday, many people cheered and clapped as the president and First Lady Melania Trump stood up. But a woman below, seated in the orchestra section, started yelling: 'Felon, you're a convicted felon.'
As cheers died down, and Trump walked out, her voice became clearer: 'Convicted felon, rapist!' A security guard quickly approached, appearing to escort her out.
As the crowd waited anxiously for Trump to return to his seat, someone yelled out: 'F**k Trump,' and the crowd responded by cheering and clapping loudly. Some yelled out: 'We love you.' Others booed, and then an even louder cheer erupted when Trump appeared again.
He pumped his fist in the air three times – reminiscent of how he rallied his supporters after an assassination attempt against him last year in Pennsylvania, when he made the same motion and shouted to the crowd: 'Fight, fight, fight.'
The night was emblematic of Trump's approach in his second administration. Shunned from much of the cultural milieu of deep-blue Washington, DC, in his first term, he largely ignored it. This time, an emboldened Trump has seized control of one of the premiere cultural spots in the city, installing allies on the board who named him chairman and announcing plans to adjust the decor and schedule to his liking.
And, much like his approach to the negative reactions during the performance, he isn't expressing much concern about his critics. His supporters are more than willing to drown out the naysayers.
When Trump first entered the theater, standing at the lip of the presidential box overlooking the crowd, he was met with loud cheers and boos. Then chants of 'USA, USA, USA' broke out.
Darlene Webb, a self-identified Trump supporter since 2016, said the expletives and jeering just made her want to express her support more loudly.
'I just wanted to clap and yell over it, because at this type of performance I don't think it was good for them to do that, professionally,' Webb said.
Cara Segur, a friend of Webb's, said she 'found it kind of ironic that he was here' given the subject matter of the musical.
In the backdrop of Wednesday night's performance — the story of a former convict fighting for a second chance against a law enforcement officer's dogged pursuit to put him back in prison — Trump has deployed the National Guard and hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles to quash protests, which were sparked by the administration's immigration crackdown.
'Seeing some of the actors and actresses, it looked like they were singing at him, instead of just singing to the crowd. And it felt really powerful and I liked it,' Segur said.
Not all the protests against Trump's presence at the Kennedy Center Wednesday night were vocal. Four drag queens sat below the presidential box, a visual pushback against Trump's vow that there would be no more 'woke' performances or drag shows at the Kennedy Center. One of the drag queens, Tara Hoot, said their appearance in full drag was 'a message of inclusivity. I really love musicals, I mean I'm a drag queen.'
'A lot of people have been applauding, asking for pictures,' another drag queen who goes by Vagenesis said, waving a fan with the DC flag on it. 'Some people are throwing some glances, confused about what they see, but that's always to be expected wherever we go.'
Some in the audience bought tickets well before Trump decided to attend, including Carol Campion, her daughter Kristen Farren and her two grandchildren. Farren said she would like the Kennedy Center to 'remain apolitical. It's a beautiful, beautiful location that has been part of our country for a very long time, and I think it should just be dedication to the arts as it was meant to be.'
The performers, who did not make any sort of statement about Trump's presence during the show, received a standing ovation from the audience. Trump and the first lady stood and clapped, as well as the entire presidential box, which included Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Vice President JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance and Kellyanne Conway, among others. Trump left before the lights came back on.
Before the show, the president and Melania Trump attended a VIP reception hosted by the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees intended to raise money to revamp the building.
Gold sponsors of the event were asked to contribute $2 million for 10 premier seats, a photo opportunity with Trump and 10 tickets to the VIP reception. Silver sponsors were expected to pay $100,000 for a photo opportunity with Trump, performance seating and two tickets to the VIP reception.
At the red carpet ahead of the performance, Trump said that $10 million had been raised for the Kennedy Center.
Trump has taken purposeful steps to reshape power at the Kennedy Center, installing allies on the board who elected him chairman. That includes his chief of staff Susie Wiles, Usha Vance, Bondi, White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's wife, Allison. He also appointed Fox News hosts Maria Bartiromo and Laura Ingraham, as well as 'God Bless the USA' singer Lee Greenwood.
'We're going to make it incredible,' Trump said on the red carpet before the show. 'We have all the funding — we raised a lot tonight. We'll put it — lot of money, we're going to bring it back to the highest level, higher than it was ever before.'
Trump was asked while entering the venue about a previous CNN report that at least 10 to 12 cast members planned to boycott the performance due to his appearance. While it was not immediately clear how many cast members followed through on those plans, Trump said he was unbothered.
'I couldn't care less, honestly I couldn't,' he replied. 'All I do is run the country – well.'
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Laura Coates 00:00:00 I'm Laura Coates and this is Trial by Jury. I want to check in with my partner in court who is by my side, or I should say I'm really by her side because she's been following this from the very beginning, Elizabeth Wagmeister. She is in the house. And of course, I want hear how she saw this day. Elizabeth Wagmeister 00:00:21 Okay, Laura, I have a wild story for you, and I know that we were just together. We were literally sitting in court together all day, but in the mere few hours since we have been apart, I had a source contact me with quite the story. So while we were inside the courtroom, none other than Kanye West was outside of court. I heard from a source that Kanye West was nearby the courthouse, because he wants to come and he wants to support Diddy. Now we know that Kanye and Diddy are friends. They recorded music together. Kanye has been supporting Diddy on his social media through some rather erratic posts over the past few months while he was incarcerated. He's really, you know, one of the few public figures to support him. But here's what my source told me. My source said that Kanye has been in touch with Diddy's family, particularly Diddy's son, Christian Combs, who's also known as King Combs. And he contacted him and said that he wants to come and support Diddy. He wants to sit in court. And I also hear that King Combs and Kanye, that they are working on music together, so it's not out of the ordinary that they would be in touch. So anyway, that's the scoop. Kanye wants to come to court, he is planning on coming to court. I had someone who told me that it would make more sense for him to come there when the defense is presenting, when they're calling witnesses, not while the prosecution is still presenting their case. Anything can change. This is Kanye we're talking about after all. But, you know, just imagine the scene, Laura. If Kanye shows up at court. This courthouse is already a madhouse. So just imagine what would happen if he is there. But again, I am told that he does want to come. He wants to support Diddy. He is in New York right now. He was around the courthouse today and that he is planning on coming. So we will keep our eyes open for him. We will see if he is sitting there. We will who he is siting with, if he comes. But I'm breaking this news with you. You are the first person that I am telling, Laura. So, there you have it. Laura Coates 00:02:50 'Thanks, Elizabeth. Well, it was another tense day in federal court as both sides are fighting to get evidence in and they're also fighting to keep evidence out. But the best evidence may actually be coming from the witness stand. Who it actually is gonna help remains to be seen. But we have spent days, it's felt like a lot longer at times, listening to the testimony of Jane, who is a pseudonymed witness and former girlfriend of Diddy. In fact, The word is they were actually together up until his arrest for these very charges. And we have heard a lot about this relationship. Let me give you a little bit of a courtroom perspective. Can I for a second here? Because I want to set the stage for you. This witness is very soft spoken. And she is reading through a lot of text messages that they have exchanged her and Diddy. There's audio memos that are coming in, voice notes and the like. And she's talking about her love for this person. She's also talking about what she calls hotel nights. Remember, that's what Cassie Ventura called freak-offs. And the prosecution's trying to create a pattern here between these two witnesses. They're trying to establish that there was coercion, that there were force, that there were threats being made, that there was financial dependence by this woman named Jane on Diddy, and he was trying to exploit it. There was sobbing. There was emotional testimony. There was huffiness when she was asked about money that she'd received from Sean Diddy Combs as well But the overall vibe that you're getting in that courtroom, I mean the reactions among those who are watching, they are varied, but they are intense. They are leaning in, they are wondering what she might say next. And I think human nature might be forcing people to compare and contrast the people they've already heard from. Not comparing the trauma that any alleged victim has experienced, but they're really trying to parse and pick different elements that either add to or diminish the credibility of these witnesses. And one thing occurred to me today as I was listening, there's that lingering question of whether Diddy is actually going to testify. Well, let me tell you, there are enough text messages that are written by Sean Diddy Combs and voice notes that are being played that in a way, he's already testifying. And I have to wonder if it's going to factor into his ultimate decision. Once the prosecution rests, whether he in fact will testify or whether he will rely on those audio and voice notes and text messages to say the things that ideally he wants already in the record. There's another conversation I've been wanting to have. I have been wanting to talk to somebody who knows jurors. And today I'm speaking with Faye Honig, Director of Jury Research at Dubin Research and Consulting and President of the American Society of Trial Consultants. This is a case about drugs, about sex, about rock and roll, about violence. You've got the expectation by the prosecution that people are gonna clutch their pearls. Walk me through a little bit about what considerations you're thinking of when you're even choosing the juror, because now you're stuck with these jurors. Faye Honig 00:06:12 Yeah, and it's why it's so important to do research going into it, right? Like, we can assume and we know that both sides did extensive research because they have the names in advance. I mean, the thing about this trial that's unusual about other federal trials is how high profile it is, and because they did have a juror questionnaire, they knew a decent amount about these juror's going in. So, they have their profile, they have there what we call a deselection profile, a jurors profile. They're looking at sympathy, they're looking at life experience, they are looking at familiarity with Diddy, they're look at what kind of music they listen to, they look at if they can really sit and interpret the evidence and not be disturbed by it to the point that they are uncomfortable talking about it. So, you know, both sides have their profile and again, you'll hear this again and again. It's not about who's good for you, it's about who is bad for you, and getting them off, so there's some wild cards on there. There's a masseuse that's also an actor. That's in my mind the wild card He may turn out to be a leader. He has a lot of parallels and views on these kinds of topics He may think well Yeah, these these accusers were using Diddy just as much as he was using them. So it's it's all very interesting Laura Coates 00:07:19 Yeah, the wild card, obviously, first of all, there's the wildcard of individual jurors. And there's a wild card of who's an alternate and who is actually going to deliberate on this case. Because right now, these jurors, they don't know if they're alternates or not. They are supposed to all act like they are the ones, they are the final twelve, who are going to decide this case. But let's talk about what the jurors are seeing in that courtroom. First of all, they're seeing a lot of emotion. They're seeing crying witnesses, for example. At times are having to stop because they're sobbing, either it's a prior employee or it's an alleged victim who's also been a former partner or lover of Sean Diddy Combs, let alone a girlfriend and beyond, sometimes victimized as well, as they all described. How do juries, how do they view tears? Faye Honig 00:08:07 So just to kind of back up a little bit, jurors see everything. They see absolutely everything, from how Diddy is walking in, if the defendant is holding the door for his team. They see the looks that the prosecution is giving each other, they see the turnbacks that Diddy's giving the media. The tears, it really comes down to individual witnesses, I think, and it's all about credibility. So someone can have a very credible testimony, but then if the defense gets up there and says well actually you know you're saying that did he was in this location and and you know assaulted you and held you up over a balcony but actually we have receipts that are in New York, I mean it just attacks credibility. So — Laura Coates 00:08:46 Which, actually, by the way, what you describe did happen with a witness with the name of Bana, who they literally had receipts of him at the Trump Hotel here in New York City and compared that as a way to try to undermine her dates, her reference points, and ultimately her credibility. Faye Honig 00:09:01 Exactly. So I think tears matter, but it's also, jurors view them as kind of a totality of the whole. So they're kind of looking at everything from overall and and they can't, they're gonna have to go back after six eight weeks of testimony and really try to individually and altogether figure out who they believe, how it ties into the story, and ultimately if the prosecution's able to meet their burden, because right now they're focusing on individual people and it's all about how the prosecution can tie it up and wrap it up nicely in a bow and say, You saw all these individual people that were victimized by Diddy, but can they prove that there was this conspiracy and this coercion and this control? Laura Coates 00:09:36 That's important because the juror is not the one that has to put the pieces together. It's going to be the prosecution who has that burden to make that jigsaw puzzle very, very clear. But here, you've got a number of defense counsel. You've got a number of prosecutors. You've more than, I think, eight defense counsels, six prosecutors. Does that number factor in at all for jurors to see just the serious? Scope of representation? Faye Honig 00:10:02 You know, I think it does, but at the same time, it's understandable, right? They're aware how high profile this is, but I think, it goes to an additional question, which is the sheer number of people that are in the courtroom every day. So these jurors, they understand that this is a big deal. And I think I can imagine it will be a longer deliberation. I mean, we just saw the Weinstein verdict come out after days and days of deliberations. But these jurors are aware of how important this is. I do think, you know, taking notes is okay and talking to your, you know, whispering to your defense is fine and your attorneys are fine, but I do you think there is something to be said for everyone taking it very seriously. It's not a joke. He's literally on trial for his life, but they know how important it is. I think they're aware kind of of the sheer volume of it all. Laura Coates 00:10:50 'It comes down to not only what the prosecution and the defense look like and are saying, but how the defendant presents himself. We see that this is a very high-profile defendant. They all know who he is. They probably have him as a part of a playlist, or more. Does the celebrity focus, does that impact jurors over the course of several weeks or is there something about the celebrity of it all that sort of fades away? Faye Honig 00:11:17 You know, I think it tends to fade away because once you're picked and you're there and you are listening to evidence after evidence after the evidence, it's just another trial like everything else. I mean, the jurors pay attention to every little detail because they don't have anything else to do. I mean they're in that room for every day for five days a week, you know? So I think the celebrity matters, but I think that it fades quickly. I mean you know, Kid Cudi testified, I mean that was probably a big hype for the jurors who knew him. I mean, I think there's a little bit of an age gap between those who knew Diddy and those who might be more aware of Kid Cudi. But I think it does fade, and I think this all goes to the fact that, I mean we even see this with our focus groups. I mean jurors take it seriously, even if it's a mock trial, right? And they're able to remove themselves. And I think, you know, this celebrity is the prosecution's whole case. I mean they're trying to say that he, because of his power and because of his, his stature, he was able to have this kind of coercive control. So the celebrity is kind of fading by the end of it, and they're just starting to see him as a normal guy. I mean, I don't know if they are, but it's something to consider for sure. Laura Coates 00:12:22 That's interesting because, of course, the more, I guess, the presentation of evidence, the defense wants him to seem like the bad boyfriend or husband of someone you know. Faye Honig 00:12:31 Absolutely. Laura Coates 00:12:32 'The less that celebrity comes into play, who knows if it's really working. How about the wardrobe? Because this is a very, very wealthy man. I mean, his net worth is documented as being exceptionally high compared to any of the average people in this country, let alone members of a jury who might be sitting there hearing it. But they have him in outfits that belie his wealth. You're talking about sweaters and button-down shirts and the quintessential business casual outfit you might see in any corporate space on a random Wednesday. So how, when you're looking at jurors and asking them about what they're looking and the focus groups, are they paying attention to the physical appearance? Of the defendant? Faye Honig 00:13:13 So, it's, this is a very interesting scenario because the judge allotted him a certain wardrobe, right? The judge said you can have X amount of sweaters, it's business casual, so he was pretty limited in the suits and what he could put on, but I think it all goes to who he is as a person. I mean, he wasn't someone that was seen in suits all the time. I mean sure, he had the parties and, and all these big events that he went to, but he was more, he wasn't wearing suits every day. So I think it does align with kind of who he is, but at the same time it's very smart on the defense to kind of try to minimize his wealth and kind of minimize his stature and wealth right, in the community. They definitely notice what he's looking like but it's it's kind of the totality of not necessarily is he wearing a red tie or a yellow tie Laura Coates 00:13:56 I mean, he's aged from the person that most people know Sean Diddy Combs as. It's not necessarily salt and pepper. It's more gray and white for hair. His children who were in the courtroom look more like the age people associate with Sean Didde Combs and the person who's there. I wonder if it's all strategic, but let's talk about what's going on in these moments, because we do know that the judge has already reprimanded Diddy through his counsel to say that he had been nodding at jurors. I'm looking at them and the judge warned him that if he continued that behavior, he could very well be thrown out of the courtroom, possibly for the duration of the trial. I talked to different defense counsels and former prosecutors about this and a lot of them have the same view, which is jurors. Do not want to be stared at, period. Faye Honig 00:14:43 The judge very clearly said he was nodding vigorously at the jury, and it's, you can, you know, you can take notes and you can nod and you talk to your attorney, but you can't do anything that's trying to signal or trying to influence or, you now, persuade the jury. So I understand why the judge did that. I mean, the likelihood he actually throws him out is pretty slim to none. That would be very bad for the defense, and I don't think they'd ever let it get there. Laura Coates 00:15:05 By the way, how would a jury see that? I mean imagine a defendant not being on the, in the normal chair, that would be impactful. Faye Honig 00:15:11 It would be very bad, especially if there's any indication that it was because he couldn't control himself. Again, because the prosecution's whole cases that he had this coercion. So, you know, it's not about not having reactions. It's just not about getting to this point where there's any inclination that you're trying to, you know influence the jury in any way. Laura Coates 00:15:29 We'll be right back. Laura Coates 00:15:36 Let's talk about a moment that we saw even in court today. It was an unusual one, Faye, let me tell you. So after intense, days long questioning of the pseudonymed victim, Jane, she even had moments where she was irreverent when it came to the defense counsel, whether it was about the money she'd received or certain handbags she had or whatever it might be or the worth that she monetarily was assigning to the time they had together or beyond. And at the end of it, she actually went up, walked off the stand, hugged one of the prosecutors, and then actually hugged the defense attorney. I mean, how does a jury interpret that moment? Faye Honig 00:16:21 It's strange i mean they really her testimony was very interesting because I don't know if they did everything the prosecution wanted to do. It was a very much, I kept going back to him he acknowledged, you know it was it was really more, it might have played better for the defense. But so, for her to have this kind of relationship with seemingly both sides, I mean, the jury might just not understand and I think, I think it may discount what they thought of her testimony, and I think it brings in a whole new question that they'll never get an answer to. So I think its dangerous potentially. Laura Coates 00:16:53 A good point, too, because she had been talking with the prosecution at a certain point in the defense prior to trial, and so I can almost guarantee the prosecution doesn't mind when a witness or a victim maybe hugs them, but then to hug the defense attorney, too. They don't necessarily want that washout. But there's also this other push from prosecutors to remove a juror of what they're calling a lack of candor. Now, we don't know all the details at all. It is being held very close to the vest, but Diddy's defense is calling this a thinly veiled attempt to strike a black juror. Now it's all outside of the jury's presence. The jury, we have no indication is aware of any of these conversations, but could this rattle the courtroom in some way and that dynamic and shape how the jurors experience the trial? Faye Honig 00:17:41 It certainly could. I mean, what's most likely to happen, if he does get dismissed, they won't indicate to the jury why. They'll say something came up, so it won't be, you know, they found something on his social media or turns out he was a stealth juror. So the jury probably will never... Laura Coates 00:17:56 What's a stealth jury? Describe what that is. Faye Honig 00:17:57 'Well, great question. So a stealth jurors the juror that indicates or presents that they don't really know much about the case or anything that's going on, but in fact they know way more than they actually are telling people that they do, and they want to get on the jury, either, you know, to write a book about it or to just be involved or to be able to post about it. So those are the dangerous jurors and that's why I always say the most dangerous juror is one you never hear from. Which is why I love a jury questionnaire. I love attorney-led voir dire. So it's like you said, it's dangerous to assume anything that's really happening and we don't know I mean it could be that the prosecution did a deeper dive into his social media and found something indicating that he had thoughts on Diddy he knew more about the case, but you know, we've had this happen before where it's, if you don't find it before you use your strikes, you're kind of out of luck. I mean, you have the opportunity, you had ample time to look at it. If it's something that came up during the course of the trial, which from their indication that it was a lack of candor, that's not my first thought, that it's that arose during the trial because the judge does tell him not to look at the case, not to post anything. So it would be a much, I think it'd be a different phrase if that's what was happening. So, I mean it can shake up the jury and it will bring an alternate on. So. You know, who really knows, but clearly it's someone that's good for the defense and bad for the prosecution. Laura Coates 00:19:12 Well, the defense is saying they want that person to remain on, but you're right. We're all sort of at the mercy of mystery in this instance. How about RICO more broadly? How do RICO cases and the jury instructions that might come up that are often quite complex, how did those factor into the way that a juror might be absorbing a case? Faye Honig 00:19:30 The prosecution is really going to need to get up there and closing and very cleanly tie everything with a bow on it, because they've been hearing from a lot of witnesses and the defense keeps saying this was, you know, consensual. This was not coercion. These witnesses said they, you know, there's text messages showing you're doing this to me, but I stay and all of these things. So you know if that's the theory the defense keeps pushing, the prosecution is going to have to do a very good job kind of tying the thread between all these witnesses and really being able to say this is how he had control, this is helping use other people because it's Diddy kind of at the center of everything, and it's everyone else around him being told what to do by him. So it's kind of a complicated framing of what's happening that the prosecution is is trying to pull together. But you know good thing for them they have some other charges that they could fall back on in case you know it doesn't rise a level of RICO. But RICO is just kind of a very conceptually complicated theory and charge to pull. So I think the defense may have a strong argument about consent. Laura Coates 00:20:35 Make sure to follow Trial By Jury from CNN wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Lori Galarreta, Dan Bloom, Sofia Sanchez, Alexandra Saddler, and Rachid Haoues. Our technical director is Dan Dzula and executive producer of CNN Audio is Steve Lickteig. With support from Andrea Lewis, Mike Figliola, Hank Butler, Robert Mathers, Alex Manasseri, and Lisa Namerow. I'm Laura Coates, and I'm here for it.
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