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Vice President-Elect Mike Pence said Sunday morning that he was not “offended” by the cast of Hamilton despite criticism of the Broadway show by President-Elect Donald Trump on Twitter.
Pence attended the show Friday night and was addressed by actor Brandon Victor Dixon at the end of the show, speaking about the cast’s concerns about the Trump administration’s views about diverse Americans. The Indiana governor also received boos from the crowd.
In an interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, Pence responded to the controversy.
“My daughter and I and her cousins really enjoyed the show. Hamilton is just an incredible production and incredibly talented people, it was a real joy to be there,” Pence said. “When we arrived we heard a few boos, we heard some cheers, and I nudged my kids and reminded them that’s what freedom sounds like. But at the end I did hear what was said from the stage and I can say I wasn’t offended by what was said.”
You can watch his comments below:
Pence was leaving the theater Friday night when Dixon began addressing him. You can watch Dixon’s speech below:
Tonight, VP-Elect Mike Pence attended #HamiltonBway. After the show, @BrandonVDixon delivered the following statement on behalf of the show.
“We hope you will hear us out. 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,” Dixon said. “We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf all of us.”
Earlier, Pence was booed by some in the crowd before taking his seat:
Trump responded to the incident on Twitter:
Our wonderful future V.P. Mike Pence was harassed last night at the theater by the cast of Hamilton, cameras blazing.This should not happen!
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!
After Trump’s attacks on the cast, #BoycottHamilton was trending on Twitter throughout the day Saturday.
Trump doubled down on his criticism of the cast on Sunday morning, with another tweet, calling the critically acclaimed and beloved show “highly overrated” and demanding an “immediate” apology:
The cast and producers of Hamilton, which I hear is highly overrated, should immediately apologize to Mike Pence for their terrible behavior
While Trump has called for an apology and his supporters have said the show should be boycotted, Pence encouraged people to go see it on Fox News Sunday.
“If you haven’t seen the show, go to see it. It’s a great, great show, and I’m a real history buff, so my daughter and I and her cousins really enjoyed it,” Pence said.
The vice-president-elect also spoke about the controversy on CBS’ Face the Nation. You can watch that interview below:
Mike Pence on “Hamilton”: “I heard the remarks that were made at the end and, you know, I wasn’t offended by what was said”
“It’s a great show, I’m a history buff and my hat’s off to the cast and the extraordinary team that brought Hamilton to the public,” Pence said. “We really enjoyed being there. I heard the remarks that were made at the end and you know, what I can tell you is I wasn’t offended by what was said. I’ll leave to others whether it was the appropriate venue to say it.”
Pence also said in both interviews Sunday that he wants to assure people that Trump truly wants to be the president for all people, as he said in his victory speech, and that the administration will address the concerns of all Americans.
