‘Hamilton’ Theatre Owner Donated over $30,000 to Trump Campaign Efforts

This Goes Far Beyond Mike Pence

Conservatives in Middle America are still reeling over the “audacity” of Broadway actors to speak directly to Vice President-elect Mike Pence in support of diversity and safety for all, but it seems thereâ€™s another wrinkle to add to the story of Mike Pence getting booed and a heart-felt plea from the cast while attending “Hamilton” on Broadway on Saturday.

According to Federal Election Commission filings, James L. Nederlander, Vice President of the Nederlander Organization, which owns multiple theaters in New York â€“Â including the Richard Rodgers Theatre where “Hamilton” is enjoying its sold-out run â€“Â donated $2,700 (the legal limit) to Donald Trumpâ€™s campaign for president and $30,000 to the Trump Victory Fund, the joint fundraising project of the RNC and the Trump campaign. Both donations were made on June 30, 2016.

Nederlander has a history of donating to candidates on both sides of the aisle, including Barbara Boxer, Charles Schumer, Cory Booker, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, and George W. Bush. Just one month before his campaign to Donald Trump, Nederlander gave $2400 to Marco Rubio for President, while a year earlier he had donated to Jeb Bushâ€™s campaign. In OctoberÂ Nederlander gave Hillary Clinton’s campaign $1500.

Facebook user John O’Malley caught wind of the donations Monday morning and began speaking out:

If ya’ll [sic] want to get down and dirty with Hamilton, here is a $30,000 donation made to the Trump victory fund by the owner of the theater. Not only is he the president of the Nederlander organization but he also had a hand in producing the following LGBTQ shows over the years: Kinky Boots, La Cage aux Folles, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, as well as minority led shows like The Color Purple, On Your Feet, After Midnight, and Evita. If we are going to boo and call out people who openly oppress us let’s also honor those who pretend to have our backs.

The Trump-Nederlander friendship (see photo above) shouldnâ€™t come as a surprise to those who know their theater history. Both men have been seen in public together at various Broadway openings and other social events.Â

When Trump was just 23 he was an associate producer on a Broadway show called â€œParis is Out!â€ which held its run at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, which is owned by the Nederlander Group. The show ended up flopping after just 96 performances and Trump lost his entire investment.

As we begin the process of moving forward and continuing our progress, our challenge now will be reconciling the duality of those weâ€™ve come to lean on who have also supported those who wish to harm us.