WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is attending Tuesday night's 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.
Set in the 1920s, “Chicago†is a scathing satire of how show business and the media make celebrities out of criminals.
“Chicago†will run at the Kennedy Center Opera House through April 5. The center 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, and replacing it with a handpicked board of trustees that named him chairman.
The board 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 that are ongoing.
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 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.â€
“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.
