It’s common knowledge that a cheap way to get a quick laugh is to make fun of musical theater. Last week, Vice President JD Vance tested this theory on his personal X account in advance of attending the opening-night performance of Les Misérables at the Kennedy Center with Donald and Melania Trump, a few days before millions of Americans took to the streets to protest the Trump administration. “About to see Les Miserables with POTUS at the Kennedy Center. Me to Usha: so what’s this about? A barber who kills people? Usha; [hysterical laughter],” he posted. The joke was so funny that Vance felt the need to explain the punch line in a follow-up: “That’s apparently a different thing called ‘Sweeney Todd.’” Ha.
It’s painfully obvious that Vance isn’t attuned to the deep irony that he and Trump attended Les Misérables—a musical about a violent uprising of the proletariat against a corrupt regime—hours before No Kings demonstrations against their administration took place all over the nation. But the vice president made another grave miscalculation when posting his “joke” on social media: His boss is a huge theater queen.
For more than two decades, Trump’s love of musicals has been well-documented. In February, the newly reelected president removed 18 of Joe Biden’s appointees to the board of trustees of the Kennedy Center and made himself chairman. (Hence, the trip to opening night of Les Misérables.) “Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth—THIS WILL STOP,” Trump wrote on Truth Social of the personnel change. “The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation. For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”
Donald Trump and Melania Trump arrive at the Kennedy Center on June 11, 2025 in Washington, DC to attend a performance of Les Misérables.Win McNamee/Getty Images
While Trump may not like drag shows, he certainly loves musicals—specifically ones written by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. In her book I’ll Take Your Questions Now, former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham shared that Trump would listen to Webber’s music to soothe himself during his first term. “Mr. Trump’s handlers designated an unnamed White House official known as the ‘Music Man’ to play him his favorite show tunes, including ‘Memory’ from Cats to pull him from the brink of rage,” The New York Times wrote of the book’s contents.
“Memory” from Cats—Webber’s infamous long-running musical about, well, cats—seems to hold a particularly special place in Trump’s heart. While addressing his newly appointed board in March, Trump waxed poetic about seeing the show on Broadway decades ago. “We’re sitting there and then all of a sudden the lights go on and you see these people moving so incredibly, like nobody can move except a professional dancer,” he said. He then homed in on the classic ballad “Memory,” as sung by Betty Buckley, who originated the role of Grizabella the Glamour Cat on Broadway in 1982 and went on to win the Tony for best featured actress in a musical.
“Then Betty Buckley gets up and sings ‘Cats.’ And the place went crazy,” he said, incorrectly identifying the song. “Is Betty Buckley still alive?” he wondered aloud, before issuing a rare back-handed compliment to the Broadway star. “Of all the great voices and stars, bigger stars than her, she had the best voice,” he said. High praise coming from someone who in an alternate universe could have taken over Simon Cowell’s seat on America’s Got Talent.
Buckley, who, by the way, is alive and well and living in her native Texas, according to the Times, has suggested that Trump’s admiration is not reciprocated. “While I’m honored whenever my performance resonates with an audience member, I find it deeply troubling that this praise coincides with actions that undermine the very foundation of the arts in America,” she told The New York Times in March after performing at Joe’s Pub. “I urge President Trump to recognize that his genuine appreciation for the arts requires more than personal enjoyment—it demands support, protection, and the courage to uphold the freedom of expression for all artists.”
