Gay journalist says he was briefly detained by security after booing the president donald trump on the opening night of the musical chicago Tuesday at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. According to of Washington Blade.
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Former state TV journalist Eugene Ramirez said: blade He attended the performance with a group of friends. Ramirez reportedly booed and gave thumbs up when President Trump and first lady Melania Trump appeared in the balcony box before the performance.
According to According to the Associated Press, the couple’s entrance was met with boos from some in the audience, which were drowned out by even louder cheers from others. Within minutes, multiple security guards removed him from his seat, Ramirez said.
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“They don’t want boos,” Ramirez recalled a security official telling him, adding that the official even specifically called for a thumbs-down gesture. He said he was restrained in another area until the lights in the house were dimmed, after which he was allowed to return to his seat. He was not arrested or charged.
Ramirez, who is of Cuban descent and anchored Sinclair’s national evening news program, said his instinct to appear in public was a professional reflex. “Journalism is not just a job, it’s a calling,” he said. blade. “The Kennedy Center is a federally funded cultural institution, and being questioned about comments related to the president there felt like something the public should know.”
He said the presence of the White House press corps made it clear that the appearance was a controlled media moment. “It was clearly about protection, whether it was protecting the president from visible dissent or protecting his image in front of the media. There was no disruption. Just expressing dissent in a public cultural space attracted the attention of security officials.”
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Coach Ramirez said he was not lost on the irony of the venue. “The satire was right off the stage. It’s a show that relies on showmanship and distraction to control the narrative, manipulate the press, and hide the truth.”
Neither the Kennedy Center nor the White House responded to requests for comment.
The incident occurred at a time when the Kennedy Center was in the midst of a transformation under the Trump administration. According to the Associated Press, some attendees who arrived at the show didn’t know President Trump was scheduled to attend despite the extra safety precautions in place, while others said they received voicemails or emails about the special guest but were surprised to learn it was the president. President Trump attended the opening performance of “Les Misérables” last summer, which was similarly met with a mix of boos and cheers.
In December, the center’s board of directors changed its name to the Trump Kennedy Center, despite opposition and questions about whether federal law would allow it, and the center is scheduled to close in July for what President Trump called “construction, revitalization and complete rebuilding.”
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The regime’s takeover reshaped the institution’s cultural footprint. Among the casualties: Lin-Manuel Miranda canceling a scheduled performance of Hamilton in conjunction with the nation’s 250th anniversary, actor and producer Issa Rae canceling a sold-out appearance, and the Washington, D.C. gay men’s choir and National Symphony Orchestra These include the cancellation of the Pride concert featuring the Symphony Orchestra, and the relocation of some World Pride 2025 events to other venues after organizers said they no longer felt welcome at the Kennedy Center.
Since President Trump took power, ticket sales have declined and artists have been withdrawing from the Kennedy Center.
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