Trump asks 'Hamilton' cast who 'harassed' Mike Pence to apologize
Vice-president elect Mike Pence made a surprise visit to watch the award-winning Broadway show Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Friday night, and received a loud chorus of boos from the audience as he made way to his seat.
At the conclusion of the show, cast members addressed Pence's appearance — as a group locked in hand-to-hand — behind Brandon Victor Dixon who delivered the following message:
“Vice-president elect Mike Pence, we welcome you and truly thank you for joining us at Hamilton American Musical," Dixon, who plays Aaron Burr, the nation’s third vice president, said. "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, sir. We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us," Dixon added.
"We truly thank you for sharing this show, this wonderful American story told by a diverse group of men, women of different colors, creeds and orientation," Dixon concluded to a roaring applause by those in attendance.
Pence reportedly heard Dixon's plea in the hallway, the Associated Press reported. Social media reacted fiercely to Pence — who is a born-again evangelical Christian that believes marriage should be between a man and a woman — and the irony of his decision to watch the diverse Broadway hit:
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Saturday morning, Donald Trump said in a tweet that the cast's comments were harassment, adding "This should not happen!" He followed up with another tweet asking the cast to apologize. Dixon, who delivered the comments, replied saying the "conversation is not harassment sir. And I appreciate @mike_pence for stopping to listen."
And Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda weighed in, complimenting Dixon's handling of the situation and agreeing with Trump's statement that everyone should be welcome at the show:
Javier Muñoz, who replaced Miranda in the title role in July, added, "Live/own your truth. Le none make you feel small. Be the light that shines bright."