Social media users continue to react to a statement made by the cast of the Broadway musical Hamilton that was directed to Vice-President-elect Mike Pence… including President-elect Donald Trump.
Both #BoycottHamilton and #NameaPenceMusical continue to trend on Twitter, as users take sides in the controversy.
Pence attended the popular show on Friday, when cast member Brandon Victor Dixon delivered a statement to him following the performance.
“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,” Dixon said.
“We truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us. We truly thank you for sharing this show, this wonderful American story told by a diverse group of men and women of different colors, creeds and orientations.”
Trump responded, calling the statement harassment and demanded that the cast apologize, which was met with amusement on social media.
Early on Sunday, Trump tweeted about Hamilton for the third time, calling the play overrated and repeated his call for the cast to apologize to Pence.
It has been suggested that Trump’s reaction was calculated to distract attention from the Trump University lawsuit, which he settled for $25 million on Friday.
Supporters of Trump and Pence have called for a boycott of Hamilton, which was also met by a mixture of support and ridicule.
Hamilton is one of the most in-demand musicals in Broadway history, and the irony of calling for a boycott of a play for which tickets are like gold dust was not lost on Twitter users.
Others questioned why Trump’s supporters were so offended by the cast’s statement, but didn’t seem to be bothered about any of the controversial statements made by the president-elect during his election campaign.
Both #BoycottHammilton and #BoycottHamilton have been trending, with many users failing to realize that the play is spelt with one ‘m’.
Others didn’t appear to be aware of what the actors had said, accusing them of threatening Pence.
Trump supporters even held a protest outside the theater, chanting “USA, USA.”
#NameaPenceMusical continues to be shared, with social media users coming up with inventive musical titles inspired by the political viewpoints of the Republican Party and Pence.