After Vice President-elect Mike Pence was booed by theater-goers at Richard Rodgers Theater as he attended a performance of "Hamilton," social media lit up with opinions from every corner. Some felt the cast behaved poorly and "lectured him" from the stage; some felt the cast was sincerely expressing their anxieties about a Donald Trump presidency; some felt Pence's silence in the aftermath indicated a lack of concern; others felt it indicated a graciousness.
Social media, as it has been through this entire election, was a hodgepodge of thoughts -- some deep, others not so much -- on the matter. And, never one to be outdone, President-elect Donald Trump weighed in on Twitter as well. And weighed in again. And again.
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2016
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2016
The cast and producers of Hamilton, which I hear is highly overrated, should immediately apologize to Mike Pence for their terrible behavior
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2016
Whether it's appropriate for Trump to be such a prolific tweeter (how does he have the time?) is debatable — it's a new world, both technologically speaking and president-elect speaking. It may just be the modern version of the fireside chat — a way for the president to speak directly to the people. So, tweet away, sir.
However, it's seems a tad disrespectful to Mr. Pence, who probably doesn't need the protection. He seems to have handled the episode well. Furthermore, and more to the point, there's something a little disturbing about a man with the kind of power Trump now possesses calling a theater production "overrated." It implies an unworthiness that his supporters are already latching onto (the cast of Hamilton did not help themselves in this regard. For what it's worth, this is how you properly boycott something -- hit em in the pocketbook.)
As Charles Cooke from National Review noted Sunday morning on Twitter:
One of the alarming things about Trump is that if someone criticizes him they must be “overrated” or “terrible” or “going out of business.”
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) November 20, 2016
There's also the chance that Trump taking to Twitter is less about protecting his right-hand man and more about diverting attention from some of the more unsavory aspects of his past life:
A look at the last 4 hours on Google shows how fast Trump forced his Hamilton spat to the top of the agenda instead of Trump U @robfordmancs pic.twitter.com/0nqZqICvgt
— Asa Bennett (@asabenn) November 19, 2016
In any event, with concerns mounting about some of Trump's cabinet choices, it may make a little sense for the new administration to calm fears rather than fan the flames on social media. And apparently, the show, at least to some, isn't all that overrated.
I finally saw @HamiltonMusical last night. I had very high expectations and they were still surpassed! 👍👍 pic.twitter.com/zxNXRJIcOx
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) March 14, 2016
