‘Apologize!’: Trump hits ‘Hamilton’ cast for confronting Pence
President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday criticized the cast of “Hamilton” for confronting the incoming vice president the night before.
“Our wonderful future V.P. Mike Pence was harassed last night at the theater by the cast of Hamilton, cameras blazing,” Trump tweeted. “This should not happen!”
Trump also demanded an apology:
The Theater must always be a safe and special place.The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2016
But it’s up for debate how rude the cast actually was to Vice President-elect Mike Pence on Friday night. When the Indiana governor took his seat at the critically acclaimed Broadway show, the audience roundly booed him. The cast waited until after the show to deliver a message.
“Vice President-elect Pence, I see you walking out, but I hope you will hear us, just a few more moments. There’s nothing to boo here, ladies and gentlemen,” actor Brandon Victor Dixon said.
He then read a statement reportedly drafted by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of “Hamilton,” with input from cast members. The statement emphasized the diversity of the show’s actors and their broad concerns about the Trump administration:
“Vice President-elect Pence, we welcome you, and we truly thank you for joining us here at ‘Hamilton: An American Musical’ — we really do. We sir — we — are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir. But we truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us. All of us. Again, we truly thank you for sharing in this show, this wonderful American story told by a diverse group of men and women of different colors, creeds and orientations.”
After Trump’s tweets, Dixon disputed Trump’s claim that he had “harassed” Pence.
@realDonaldTrump conversation is not harassment sir. And I appreciate @mike_pence for stopping to listen.
— Brandon Victor Dixon (@BrandonVDixon) November 19, 2016
Many of Pence’s defenders have directed their criticism at the audience that booed the vice president-elect rather than the cast. On Twitter, Trump’s former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said Pence “deserves respect and a peaceful night out with his nephew and daughter.”
Watch the cast address Pence below:
Tonight, VP-Elect Mike Pence attended #HamiltonBway. After the show, @BrandonVDixon delivered the following statement on behalf of the show. pic.twitter.com/Jsg9Q1pMZs
— Hamilton (@HamiltonMusical) November 19, 2016
