JD Vance's awkward joke to wife Usha falls flat - 'Could you be any more unaware?'
JD Vance and Donald Trump attended the opening night of Les Miserables at the Kennedy Center last night - but a joke the VP shared on X didn't go down well with social media users
A joke JD Vance shared with his wife, Usha, fell flat after the Vice President posted it on social media.
Last night, the politician attended the opening night of Les Miserables at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC with President Donald Trump. Just before the show began, JD Vance wrote on X that he had asked his wife what the show was about - and joked that he asked her whether it was the story of "a barber who kills people," which made Usha laugh.
But the VP then responded to his own tweet, writing, "That's apparently a different thing called 'Sweeney Todd.'" The joke didn't go down well with users on X, where critics hit out at the VP as well as Trump. One wrote, "Could you be any more unaware? Americans are being evacuated for war and our highest elected officials are watching plays."
"I don't get what this tweet was supposed to accomplish?" one asked, while another said, "This is so cringe." Someone else wrote, "Your wife is the only person who thinks you're funny." One added, "Usha was laughing AT you. Not with you."
A person said, "Les Miserables…a story of someone imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread. Maybe you'll understand the plight of the lower class after seeing the show, JD. But your date, POTUS, is unable to comprehend things like that." One more said, "So the country appears to be melting down and ur off to a show. Sounds like the priorities are where they should be."
Last night it was Trump's first time attending a show at the Kennedy Center since his election - and he was booed and cheered as he took his seat alongside Melania Trump. Near the end of the intermission, someone loudly cursed his name, drawing applause. Several drag queens were in the crowd, their presence a protest against Trump's complaints that the Kennedy Center had hosted too many drag shows in the past.
Despite the condemnation, the event had a MAGA-does-Broadway feel as it was attended by Ric Grenell, the Trump-appointed interim leader of the Kennedy Center, as well as the VP and his wife. Trump walked the red carpet with the First Lady when they arrived at the theater, which he's been remaking in his image while excising what he describes as liberal ideology. "We want to bring it back, and we want to bring it back better than ever," Trump said.
The Republican President has a particular affection for Les Miserables, the sprawling musical set in 19th-century France, and has occasionally played its songs at his events. One of them, Do You Hear the People Sing?, is a revolutionary rallying cry inspired by the 1832 rebellion against the French King.
The three-hour production featured singing and dancing, with the sounds of explosions and gunfire filling the theater as protesters and soldiers clashed on stage. For Trump's critics, it was an unnerving echo of what's unfolding in Los Angeles, where Trump has deployed National Guard troops in response to protests over his deportation policies.
"Someone explain the plot to him," California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, wrote on social media. Terry Gee, a bartender, bought his ticket for the show in November and didn't mind Trump's presence. It was his sixth time seeing Les Miserables and he said, "I'm going to enjoy the show regardless."
Attendee Hannah Watkins only learned that Trump would be there when the Kennedy Center distributed information about extra security and she searched online to see what was happening. "I've seen a lot of famous people so far, which is exciting," said the nurse, who had claimed a spot near the VIP entrance with her mother. "Honestly, we just like 'Les Mis' and are excited to be here."
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