Trump and Melania photo sparks social media
1. A Night Overshadowed
By the final curtain of Les Misérables, the show itself felt secondary to
“the drama unfolding in the aisles and online,”
marked by Trump’s “three-pump fist” and clashing chants.
2. A Changing Venue
With the Kennedy Center reshaped by conservative leadership,
it became “a contested symbol of cultural power,”
especially as some cast members chose to sit out.
3. Politics in Performance
Trump’s claim of raising “more than $10 million”
signaled an effort to remake the space in his image,
underscored by the irony of a leader criticized for suppressing
protests attending a musical about the poor rising up.
4. Meaning in Small Gestures
Outside, a meme of him “clutching only Melania’s thumb”
spread quickly, showing how minor moments gain oversized significance.
Ultimately, “everyone saw the same show, but each audience left with a different story.”
