Singer Linda Ronstadt confronted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a gala honoring her and hosted by the State Department at the Kennedy Center.
Pompeo was the host of the Saturday dinner, where honorees including Ronstadt, 73, were given Kennedy Center Rainbow ribbons. During the reception, he referred to Ronstadt’s song, When Will I Be Loved. “As I travel the world, I wonder when will I be loved,” he said during his welcome address.
Ronstadt used her remarks to respond to Pompeo. “I’d like to say to Mr. Pompeo, who wonders when he’ll be loved, it’s when he stops enabling Donald Trump,” she told the secretary of state. She then took her seat. Her comment caused the audience to gasp before they cheered and applauded.
The State Department gala is held annually at the Kennedy Center to honor the arts. In addition to Ronstadt, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, Sesame Street, Sally Fields, and the band Earth, Wind & Fire were all recognized. President Trump did not attend the event, which has been regularly attended by previous presidents since its start in 1978.
Ronstadt signaled her hostility toward Trump in advance, saying in July that he would not “dare show his face” at the gala.
