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Trump faces loud cheers and boos from Kennedy Center audience at Les …
Reuters
US vice-president JD Vance has been slammed as “cringe” for a terrible joke made about the musical Les Misérables amid the ongoing LA ICE protests.
Protests that started in Los Angeles against immigration raids and the Donald Trump administration’s decision to bring in the military have now spread nationwide.
But it seems amid the chaos, president Trump and Vance still have time to attend the theatre and attempt to make jokes, all while facing criticism about the events unfolding across the country and facing boos from the audience in attendance.
In a post on X/Twitter, Vance made a joke ahead of attending the opening night performance of Les Misérables at The Kennedy Center on Wednesday (11 June).
Vance wrote: “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].”
The irony that the musical is about an uprising and revolt against abusive authority, and is based on a very famous 19th-century novel, was not lost.
Vance posted a follow-up, writing: “That’s apparently a different thing called ‘Sweeney Todd’.”
Many people weren’t buying his ignorance and think he feigned it for a laugh and to seem relatable to his supporters.
One person said: “Oh for God’s sake you went to YALE, give it a rest.”
Another joked: “Me when I pretend not to know the plot of a Broadway musical that’s based on one of the best-known novels of all time while somehow knowing the plot to a different, lesser known Broadway musical.”
One person argued: “That’s not cute. Les Misérables is a searing indictment of authoritarianism, showing how state repression and inequality crush lives - and how resistance and mercy become acts of salvation.”
Someone pointed out: “The current administration watching Les Mis while they actively arrest and dehumanize a whole population of innocent people just trying to live their life is legendary writing.”
Another wrote: “It should be illegal to be this incredibly cringe.”
Someone else asked Grok to explain the irony of that situation. The AI chatbot replied: “The irony lies in JD Vance attending Les Misérables, a story of social injustice and rebellion, while LA protests against immigration policies he supports escalate, with curfews and federal forces deployed. The musical’s themes mirror protesters’ grievances, making his attendance seem tone-deaf.”
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