Jun 12, 2025 | 🎭 Trump on the red carpet for Les Mis, rioters chuck fireworks in Seattle

 

Hi everyone!
 

Last night I got to check out the opening of Les Mis at the Kennedy Center. It was the first night of the show and in attendance were the biggest names in government. Donald Trump, Melania, JD Vance, and Usha, all of them took a stroll on the red carpet as photographers' lenses clicked and journalists tried to entice them into making remarks. White House reporters mingled with entertainment reporters and I ended up standing behind the barricades between Deadline and CNN Digital. I caught up with Mary Margaret Olohan of the Daily Wire, Olivia Rondeau of Breitbart, and The Free Beacon's John Levine.

 

I haven't covered a lot of red carpets in my brief stint in media, but they are different than gaggles or other coordinated press events because everyone is kind of in a good mood—and if they're not, they fake it. Also, everyone is all dressed up. Mary Margaret and Olivia were stunning and when John offered his cheek for air kisses I remarked upon how nice it is to see all the fells in their tuxes. I was out covering this for Human Events, and if you're not following our X account, you probably should.

 

One photographer said it was the "quietest red carpet" she's ever been on. In her past life, she said, she used to shoot fashion in New York and LA. CNN asked to get that on video but she declined. It was a pretty quiet red carpet, but still eventful. Bobby Kennedy Jr. was there with his wife Cheryl Hines. I wanted to asked Hines about arts and politics, but Kennedy got so annoyed about being asked about vaccines the whole time that he gave up and left. Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance made a stunning entrance and took questions about the Kennedy Center and Usha's service on the board.

 

President Trump and First Lady Melania were also striking in their evening best and we learned something new: the first show Trump ever saw was Cats, while Melania's first was Phantom of the Opera. Phantom is Trump's favorite all-time show, a source told me. Trump also took a moment to answer questions about Iran, the State Department's ask for Americans in the Middle East to come home, and his plans to make the Kennedy Center better than ever before.

 

I ran into Ric Grenell sitting on a couch at the end of the red carpet and asked him about the boycott situation, where actors in the show had publicly said they planned not to perform for the president, about which he'd been rather condemnatory. He said that he did not believe the principals had decided to drop, and that he'd heard from the producers anyone who did would be blacklisted in the industry. I remarked that anyone who would drop out probably hadn't read their Hamlet. It's typically frowned upon for actors to perform or not perform based on who is in the audience.

 

While I was out listening to show tunes, chatting with journalists in black tie, and trying to get some electeds and their spouses to answer questions about the state of the arts in America, Katie Daviscourt was, to use a term of art, in the sh*t. This intrepid reporter was out on the streets of Seattle and told me that the riots were growing in violence and were more extreme than they had been in the nights leading up to Wednesday. It's likely that this will all continue throughout the summer, and she's got tons of footage on her X account too, you can also follow along with The Post Millennial, where we have a round-up of all the direct actions undertaken by well-funded activist groups intent on destroying America.

 

I know that seems like overkill, that destroying America stuff, and I know you turn on the news and see Dana Bash and all the rest saying "hey, these aren't even really widespread riots, it's just mostly peaceful damage," but you have to think this through for yourself. If Los Angeles is implementing curfews and LAPD is arresting 197 people at a stretch, if riots are erupting every night in Seattle, if New Yorkers are being prevented from commuting to work by white saviors trying to fight La Migra, what do you think is happening?

 

Does that sound peaceful to you? Does it sound like an acceptable state of things? This anti-ICE stuff is just the latest wave of anti-America stuff. Also when you hear about raids and things, check out what's really going on. Read up on who DHS is sending home, in the cases this week these are people who have committed serious crimes and are in the country illegally. We have enough criminals among our own citizenry, we don't need the world's here too.

 

And finally, now that they've caught the guy, Lorrie Posobiec reveals what really went down when her family was swatted on Christmas—twice.

 

Here's what's on my desk today:

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