By On Friday, Nov. 18, Vice President-Elect, Mike Pence went to see Hamilton on Broadway. Upon entering the show, the crowd was a mix of boos and cheers for the VP and after the show finished on behalf of the cast, actor Brandon Victor Dixon had a special message for Pence.
The transcript is below:
The cast of Hamilton took a brave step in using their platform to address concerns a lot of Americans have regarding the new president-elect and this message was applauded by many throughout the country, however some weren’t so happy including President-Elect Donald Trump:
In his classic approach, Trump used Twitter to lash out on the Hamilton cast, demanding an apology. Many critics took the time to notice that Trump had time to tweet about Hamilton, but has yet to say anything about the very message as to why the Hamilton cast spoke up in the first place.
In any case, Trump and his loyal supporters were angry at Hamilton and even proposed to boycott the show. However after Friday, the show’s tickets have been sold out.
He hasn’t yet said anything about the 31% increase in hate crimes in New York City alone, or the ill treatment of Standing Rock Protesters . Nor has he spoken about the very real Nazi uprising which grew momentum under his appointment of Steve Bannon. But mostly, critics and analysts find that Trump’s rant on Hamilton has more to do with covering up the fact that he settled to pay $25 million in the Trump University fraud case.
In any case, Trump and his loyal supporters were angry at Hamilton and even proposed to boycott the show. However after Friday, the show’s tickets have been sold out.
Pence told Fox News Sunday that he was not offended by the cast or the audience. “I did hear what was said from the stage. I can tell you I wasn’t offended by what was said. I will leave to others whether that was the appropriate venue to say it,” He said. And commenting on the message he said, “I know this is a very anxious time for some people. I just want to reassure people what President-elect Donald Trump said on election night — he absolutely meant from the bottom of his heart, He is preparing to be the president of all of the people of the United States of America.”
In regards to the boo-ing, Pence said, “When we arrived we heard a few boos, and we heard some cheers,” he said, “I nudged my kids and reminded them that is what freedom sounds like.”
Actor Dixon told CBS that “there is nothing to apologize for” and saw a responsibility to use his platform to spread that message.
So tacky of those actors. Put aside politics for one fricking hour, be a gentleman, and be respectful. Can you imagine the backlash if someone had treated Obama’s VP with such flagrant disrespect? They’d probably claim that it was racially motivated.