Trump mostly cheered while attending opening night of 'Chicago' at the Kennedy Center

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump drew applause Tuesday night as he attended the opening of the musical “Chicago” at the Kennedy Center for what could be one of his last visits there for a show before he closes the performing arts institution for a two-year renovation in July.

Trump made the short trip from the White House just after signing an executive order to create a nationwide list of verified eligible voters and to restrict mail-in voting, a move that drew swift legal threats from state Democratic officials.

The president watched the performance alongside his wife, first lady Melania Trump. As the couple entered, some in the crowd booed, but they were drowned out by even louder cheers from the rest of the crowd.

It was the Trumps' first time together at the Kennedy Center since the premiere of the documentary “Melania” in January. The Republican president also attended the opening-night performance of “Les Misérables” last summer, where he was both booed and cheered.

Some of those arriving for the show before Trump didn't know he was planning to be there, despite the extra layers of security. Others said they got a voicemail or email about a special guest being in attendance, but were still surprised to learn it was Trump.

Bobi Jo Swartz, 38, an EMT and paramedic firefighter from the Harpers Ferry area in West Virginia, said she was “definitely shocked” to pull up and see security that included bomb-sniffing dogs checking vehicles. But she also said she “kind of figured” it was either Trump or Vice President JD Vance seeing the show.

“I love it," Swartz said. "I'm glad that he's a part of it.”

“Chicago,” a scathing satire set in the 1920s about how show business and the media make celebrities out of criminals, will run at the Kennedy Center Opera House through April 5. The center will award the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to comedian Bill Maher on June 28, an event Trump could also attend.

Since returning to office in January 2025, the Republican president has wielded tremendous influence over the venue, ousting its previous leadership and replacing it with a handpicked board of trustees that named him chairman.

The board added Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center and approved the two-year closure, which followed a wave of cancellations by leading performers, musicians and groups upset that Trump had taken over the storied institution. Both the name change and the planned closure have prompted legal proceedings that are ongoing.

Swartz said she wasn't aware that the center would soon be closing, but called the prospect of remodeling “awesome.”

“Good for them,” she said.

Presidents are known for their ability to multitask, but Trump's attendance at Tuesday's opening night show comes after the White House suggested that the war in Iran and other major matters kept him from attending the Conservative Political Action Conference in suburban Dallas over the weekend.

Trump was a fixture at past CPAC gatherings, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said he still “loves” the event and “has a very good relationship with the great people who run it.”

“It was just simply for scheduling purposes this year, with it being in Texas, it was best for the president’s schedule and what he has on his plate right now not to go," she said during her briefing with reporters on Monday.

Trump instead spent the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and went to his golf club on Saturday and Sunday.