President Trump faced an unfriendly reception on Thursday night, April 23, 2026, at a private event in Washington, where attendees booed him at the Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace — a gathering that drew Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Editor-in-Chief of CBS News Bari Weiss, and CBS News correspondents, according to accounts of the evening.

The chilly greeting marked the latest instance of Trump encountering open dissent in settings where his team has worked to curate the room. It came just weeks after a more dramatic confrontation at the Trump Kennedy Center, where a gay journalist was briefly detained by security for booing the president during the opening night of “Chicago.”

Detained at the Kennedy Center

Eugene Ramirez, a former lead anchor on Sinclair Broadcast Group’s national evening news, told the Washington Blade he attended the March 31 performance with a group of friends. When Trump and first lady Melania Trump appeared in a balcony box before the show, Ramirez booed and flashed a thumbs-down.

Within moments, he said, multiple security personnel escorted him from his seat. According to the Associated Press, some in the crowd booed as the couple entered, though they were drowned out by louder cheers from the rest of the audience.

“They don’t want booing,” Ramirez recalled a security official telling him, noting that the official specifically called out his thumbs-down. He was held in a separate area until the house lights dimmed, then allowed back to his seat. He was not arrested or charged, he told the Blade.

Ramirez, who is of Cuban heritage, said his decision to go public was a professional reflex. The presence of the White House press pool, he said, made clear the appearance was a managed media moment.

“It was very clearly about protection — whether protecting the president from visible dissent, or his image before the media present. There was no disruption. Simply expressing dissent in a public, cultural space drew the attention of security,” he said.

Neither the Kennedy Center nor the White House responded to requests for comment on the Ramirez incident. Some attendees arriving for the “Chicago” show didn’t know Trump was planning to be there. Others received a voicemail or email about a special guest but were still surprised to learn it was the president.

A Transformed Cultural Institution

The Kennedy Center’s board changed the institution’s name to the Trump Kennedy Center in December, despite objections and questions about whether federal law allows it. The center is set to close in July for a two-year renovation that has drawn both legal challenges and widespread criticism from the arts community.

The takeover has reshaped the venue’s cultural footprint. The producers of “Hamilton” canceled a planned run tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary. Actor and producer Issa Rae scrapped a sold-out appearance. A Pride concert featuring the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., and the National Symphony Orchestra was canceled. Some WorldPride 2025 events were moved to other venues after organizers said the Kennedy Center no longer felt welcoming.

Ticket sales have slumped, and artists have withdrawn in waves. Trump attended the opening-night performance of “Les Misérables” last summer, where he was met with a similar mix of boos and cheers.

Ramirez said the irony of the venue wasn’t lost on him. “The satire truly leapt off the stage — a show about controlling the narrative, manipulating the press, and covering up truths by leaning on showmanship and distractions.”

A Familiar Pattern of Hostile Rooms

Trump, who is accustomed to staging rallies before adoring crowds, has occasionally found himself face-to-face with open detractors. The most striking example came on May 25, 2024, when he was booed repeatedly while addressing the Libertarian Party National Convention.

Many in that crowd shouted insults and decried him for his COVID-19 policies, running up towering federal deficits and lying about his political record. Some supporters clad in “Make America Great” hats and T-shirts cheered and chanted “USA! USA!” while others shouted “End the Fed!” Multiple audience members were escorted from the venue.

When Trump called President Joe Biden a “tyrant” and the “worst president in the history of the United States,” some in the audience screamed back, “That’s you.” Trump snapped that Libertarians “don’t want to win” and suggested they were content to “keep getting your 3% every four years” — a reference to Gary Johnson’s roughly 3 percent showing in 2016 and Jo Jorgensen’s a bit more than 1 percent in 2020.

Trump tried to win the room by pledging to include a Libertarian in his Cabinet and promising to commute the life sentence of Ross Ulbricht, the convicted founder of Silk Road — a pledge that drew his biggest cheer as attendees hoisted “Free Ross” signs. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had delivered his own convention speech the night before.

The Libertarian moment and the Kennedy Center detention share a through line now visible in Thursday’s Institute of Peace event: even in carefully selected rooms, a president who prefers adulation keeps finding audiences willing to break the script.