Yes, the U.S. Army Chorus sang ‘Les Mis’ at the White House Governors’ Ball

As footage from an annual White House dinner for the nation’s governors over the weekend spread across social media, musical theater and pop culture enthusiasts are asking: Was the song choice an intentional troll?

The U.S. Army Chorus performed a rendition of “Do You Hear the People Sing?” Saturday evening in a ballroom surrounded by elected officials, including President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump. To the uninitiated, it’s a catchy tune from the popular musical, Les Misérables. The song — which touches on themes of overcoming adversity — is rooted in protest.

Since Saturday’s performance, some have suggested the song choice was intended to provoke a reaction. But history shows Trump may just have a thing for show tunes — and this one in particular.

Here’s what we know.

A video taken by White House Assistant to the President Dan Scavino and posted on X of the Army Chorus’ performance has been viewed over 2 million times on that platform alone since it was posted Saturday night. A reposted version on TikTok has been viewed 3 million times.

The video has since been heavily reposted and discussed on TikTok and Reddit along with commentary about the intentions behind the song choice. Les Mis at its core is a musical about fighting against political oppression and injustice in 19th century France under the reign of King Charles X and King Louis-Philippe. The irony led some to question the video’s authenticity (it is real).

Last week, anti-Trump demonstrations took place on Presidents' Day nationwide, many of which were nicknamed “No Kings on Presidents’ Day” and “America Has No King.” Trump likened himself to royalty last week with posts on his Truth Social platform and on the White House’s official Instagram account.

» READ MORE: What we know about the group behind the ‘Not My Presidents Day’ protests

For that reason, some internet theorists think the song selection was an intentional slight, with some calling it an act of rebellion.

“They’re singing Les Miserables at a government function. VEEP couldn’t even write something this good,” one re-poster wrote on X,” referring to the HBO show that satirized the White House.

Rep. Jim McGovern (D., Mass) suggested on social media that he thought the song was a dig.

“They picked Les Mis — a musical about standing up to tyranny,” McGovern wrote on X. “They protested you at your own event and you were too stupid to get it.”

Les Misérables is a widely popular musical about characters in 19th century France, including the French peasant Jean Valjean, and their quest for redemption. It’s set during the country’s revolutionary period and depicts a group of students and idealists and their attempt to overthrow the government.

The theater productions and film renditions have broken multiple box office records worldwide. The French musical premiered in Paris in 1980 and its English-language adaptation debuted in 1985. It’s considered the longest-running production in London’s West End theater and the second longest-running musical in the world.

“Do You Hear the People Sing?” is about overcoming adversity. It is performed twice in Les Misérables, and describes the rebel students and workers rising up through the streets of Paris against the government during the June Rebellion of 1832. It is commonly used as a protest song during demonstrations around the world for various causes.

The choice to sing “Do You Hear the People Sing?” at the governors' ball has been discussed at length across multiple Reddit threads and in TikTok comment sections.

As noted by some close listeners on Reddit, the U.S. Army’s rendition appears to blend the musical’s Act I version, which is sung on the eve of the rebellion, along with the reprise version, which is sung at the end of the show when the war is over.

Many commenters have gone as far as praising whomever chose the song, speculating that they “risked their job” to perform this “act of rebellion.” But it’s not the first time this tune has been played at an event Trump attended.

As it turns out, Trump is a longtime fan of Les Misérables.

In 2016, the then-Republican presidential nominee blasted “Do You Hear the People Sing?” over the loudspeakers at a Miami rally, according to the Guardian.

The co-creators behind Les Misérables went as far as demanding Trump stop using the song and released a statement about its use at rallies.

“The authors of Les Misérables were not asked for permission and did not authorize or endorse usage of ‘Do You Hear the People Sing?’ at last [week’s] Trump rally in Miami, and have never done so for any of the songs from the musical for this or any other political event,” the creators said in a statement released to the Guardian at the time.

They’re not the only ones asking Trump to stop using their music at rallies. Dozens of artists have done the same over the years.

» READ MORE: Rufus Wainwright speaks out against Trump using his song at Oaks town hall

But multiple sources, including Trump himself, say the president is actually a bit of a musical theater buff with a soft spot for Andrew Lloyd Webber, the composer behind Cats, Sunset Boulevard, and Phantom of the Opera (though not Les Misérables).

In her tell-all book, I’ll Take Your Questions Now, former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Trump’s handlers would use show tunes to wrangle the president.

“Mr. Trump’s handlers designated an unnamed White House official known as the ‘Music Man’ to play him his favorite show tunes, including ‘Memory’ from Cats, to pull him from the brink of rage,” the New York Times summarized. Trump notably included “Memory” and Phantom of the Opera’s “Music of the Night” in his 2016 campaign playlist.

And in Trump’s own 2004 memoir, Think Like a Billionaire, he praised Webber.

“My favorite Broadway show is Evita by Andrew Lloyd Webber, starring Patti LuPone,” Trump wrote. “I saw it six times, mostly with Ivana. Evita is not on Broadway right now, but I’m hopeful that they’ll bring it back. Also, The Phantom of the Opera was great!”

Trump also included “Do You Hear the People Sing” in his 2022 playlist ahead of announcing his 2024 presidential campaign.

The U.S. Army Chorus has been known to perform a variety of songs and marches over the years, ranging from “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The group has its own Spotify page.

And yes, that includes the occasional show tune.

In a video published to the U.S. Army Band and Chorus’ YouTube Channel, members of the chorus sing “Not While I’m Around,” from the musical Sweeney Todd, as a nod to composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s birthday. In another video, the chorus performs various Broadway hits celebrating women composers and performers.

No. It’s unclear who selected the U.S. Army Chorus’ performance of “Do You Hear the People Sing?”

The Inquirer has reached out to the Army and White House communications teams for comment but did not hear back as of publication time.