Democratic senators have organized a pride concert at the Kennedy Center in a symbolic protest of President Donald Trump’s influence over the cultural institution. The event, staged on Monday night, was organized by ‘Hamilton’ producer Jeffrey Seller, who described it as a form of ‘guerrilla theater’ to reclaim the space from what the senators see as political interference. The concert, which took place in the Justice Forum—a lecture hall within the Kennedy Center—was expected to last 90 minutes and feature ‘gay characters, gay culture, gay music and gay pride.’ Senators John Hickenlooper of Colorado, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts joined the effort to host the event, which serves as a form of protest against the Trump administration’s control of the institution.
The decision to host the concert was made after five Democratic senators, including Hickenlooper and Warren, joined with Seller to stage the event in the Kennedy Center. The initiative was part of a broader effort to challenge the Trump administration’s takeover of the cultural hub. According to the New York Times, the senators rented the Justice Forum for the event, which they described as a symbolic act to assert the presence and importance of the LGBTQ+ community. Hickenlooper emphasized that the event is a way to ‘seek out the light’ amid what he described as ‘dark hours,’ highlighting the resilience of the LGBTQ+ community in the face of adversity. The event was also a form of protest against the Trump administration’s policies, which critics argue have led to a decline in cultural funding and support for the arts.
The concert was organized in response to the Trump administration’s takeover of the Kennedy Center, which began in February when Trump fired several board members, including the president and chairman, and replaced them with pro-Trump figures. The new leadership, including Richard Grenell, who was appointed as president of the Kennedy Center, named Trump as chairman. Grenell, who was the first openly gay Cabinet member in the first Trump administration, has since emphasized the center’s commitment to welcoming all artists and audiences, regardless of political affiliation. However, the concert has sparked debates over the role of cultural institutions in political activism, with some critics arguing that the event blurs the line between art and politics. The Kennedy Center director has stated that the initial request for the space was for a ‘first annual Talent show,’ and that the center’s leadership only learned about the protest through media reports. This highlights the ongoing tension between the role of the arts in political discourse and the broader implications of government influence over cultural institutions.
Jeffrey Seller, the producer behind the musical ‘Hamilton,’ has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s influence over the Kennedy Center. Seller described the concert as a way to ‘reoccupy the Kennedy Center,’ asserting that the event serves as a protest and a political act. This is not the first time that Seller has taken a stand against the Trump administration; he and Lin-Manuel Miranda had previously canceled a planned production of ‘Hamilton’ at the Kennedy Center for 2026 in protest. The decision to cancel the production was made in response to the Trump administration’s control over the center, which some critics argue has led to reduced support for the arts. The concert, on the other hand, represents a more overt form of political activism, using the platform of the Kennedy Center to make a statement about the importance of LGBTQ+ representation in the arts. This has sparked a debate about whether cultural institutions should be used as platforms for political messages or whether they should remain neutral in such matters.
The event also highlights the broader implications of political influence over cultural institutions. The Kennedy Center, a major cultural hub in Washington, D.C., has been at the center of a controversy regarding its governance and the role of political figures in shaping its programming. The recent protests and cancellations have raised questions about the separation of art and politics. While some argue that the rights of the LGBTQ+ community should be protected through such cultural expressions, others contend that the use of cultural institutions for political activism may compromise their neutrality and the quality of artistic programming. The situation at the Kennedy Center has become a symbol of the broader tensions between political power and the arts, with the Democratic senators’ concert serving as a clear example of how politics can influence the cultural landscape. This has led to a broader debate about the role of cultural institutions in a divided political climate and the extent to which they should be used to make political statements.