A crowd assembled outside a private gathering expressed disapproval of President Trump as he exited the event on the night of April 23 at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington — a structure that bears the president’s name.
The vocal protests on April 23, 2026, came from demonstrators outside the gathering that featured the organizer, David Ellison, chief executive of Paramount Skydance (offspring of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison), CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, and multiple CBS News journalists.
Ellison is seeking the Department of Justice (DOJ) clearance for an intended $111 billion combination with CNN’s parent, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Also participating was Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general. He oversees the DOJ, including its antitrust division, which is expected to assess the Warner Bros. transaction. The deal would place CNN, HBO, and comparable holdings under Mr. Ellison’s management. Paramount’s principal legal officer, Makan Delrahim, was positioned alongside Mr. Trump as well.
The president spoke to the gathering for nearly an hour, with attendees including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Stephen Miller, a deputy chief of staff in the White House.
Scores of activists congregated outside the Institute of Peace along the National Mall to oppose Ellison and the intended Warner Bros. transaction. Numerous individuals advocated for preventing the combination.
The event contributes to an accumulating collection of contentious public moments Trump has encountered throughout his second tenure and preceding his return to office.
A Pattern of Hostile Rooms
The April 23 greeting at the Institute of Peace mirrored Trump’s participation at the Libertarian National Convention in Washington on May 25, 2024, where he was booed and heckled by an energetic crowd. That occasion featured disapproving shouts, isolated backing from a smaller pro-Trump contingent, and one spectator who said that Trump “should have taken a bullet.”
Within the venue, a day before Trump’s remarks, NBC News reported that one party member recommended the assembly “go tell Donald Trump to go **** himself,” receiving applause. Trump continued regardless, declaring to the spectators, “If I wasn’t a Libertarian before, I sure as hell am a Libertarian now.”
From the Stadium to the State of the Union
On November 9, 2025, Trump went to the Washington Commanders’ match versus the Detroit Lions at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland — the inaugural appearance by a current president at a standard-season NFL match since Jimmy Carter in 1978. Despite an elaborate spectacle that included an Air Force One demonstration, a formal military enlistment oath, and House Speaker Mike Johnson accompanying him in the box, significant portions of the spectators vocalized disapproval when the videoboard displayed Trump late in the opening period.
The disapproval recurred at halftime when the stadium announcer presented him, and persisted as he administered the oath to military individuals on the field. Videos of the incident circulated extensively across digital platforms, with one extensively distributed post labeling the scene “brutal” and “humiliating.” Trump departed prior to the match’s conclusion.
On Feb. 24, Trump presented the lengthiest State of the Union oration in U.S. record on February 24, 2026, extending 1 hour and 47 minutes. The Northwest Progressive Institute characterized it as a “raw, divisive, ugly” monologue. Roughly 40 Democrats declined to attend entirely, including Sen. Patty Murray and around half of Washington state’s House representatives. Numerous individuals arranged an alternate People’s State of the Union on the National Mall.
Democrats participating in the address objected to Trump regularly. When Trump asserted, “I ended eight wars,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan countered, “That’s a lie.” When Trump noted the Russia-Ukraine conflict “never would have happened if I were president,” Tlaib questioned, “What are you talking about?” Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota commented regarding the fatalities of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, informing the president, “You’ve killed Americans.” Trump replied, “You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.”
Sen. Maria Cantwell, whose guest was Secretary Steve Hobbs, disputed Trump’s proposal to consolidate voting and prohibit mail-in voting, highlighting that under the Constitution, states oversee elections. “There is no role for the president,” she remarked.
More Boos at the Kennedy Center
President Trump and the first lady were met with cheers inside the venue when they emerged in the presidential suite, though protesters gathered outside also voiced disapproval for the inaugural performance of “Chicago” at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. White House representative Liz Huston maintained Trump was “warmly welcomed by the crowd,” however, online footage demonstrated unmistakable objections combined with applause. The facility, which Trump renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center following his assumption of authority last year, is scheduled to shut down in July for a two-year overhaul.
Eugene Ramirez, a previous Sinclair national news correspondent, told the Washington Blade he was momentarily detained by personnel that evening following his disapproval and offering the president a thumbs-down gesture. Per Ramirez, a security representative informed him, “They don’t want booing,” and positioned him in a separate location until the house lights were extinguished before permitting him to go back to his location.
The March 24 event reflected Trump’s June 2025 participation at the Kennedy Center for the inaugural showing of “Les Misérables,” where he similarly experienced divided backing and objections. The reactions illustrate broader disagreement with his Kennedy Center acquisition, which has prompted substantial artist withdrawals and continuing court proceedings regarding the renaming and the scheduled shutdown.
