“They ruined this place,” said an angry audience member whose whining voice was captured on a cell phone video in which he appeared to boo Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance last Thursday as they took their seats at a National Symphony concert at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center. The malcontent was apparently responding to a more dignified audience member sitting nearby who had audibly just told him, “If you can’t act like an adult, go somewhere else.”

Judging by the headlines, one might assume that the entire audience of the Kennedy Center’s 2,465-seat Concert Hall, where the National Symphony performs, rose in unison and on political principle to jeer Vance, who personally has nothing to do with President Donald J. Trump recently assuming authority over the Kennedy Center as its new chairman.

Multiple videos available online, however, belie the notion that the disgruntled man was part of a general uproar. In fact, the booing seems to have been sporadic and confined, with some patrons challenging those who voiced displeasure, while others returned Vance’s composed wave to the hall. The overwhelming majority simply gawked, in the way that upwardly mobile Washingtonians often do when a famous politico of either party appears in their midst. In any case, all accounts agree that the commotion lasted for less than one minute.

Politics surely had something to do with the reaction of the booing minority, who, if asked, would likely tell you that they deeply believe in “diversity” and “inclusion,” but obviously do not extend those concepts to those with whom they disagree politically. This teachable moment was not lost on the Kennedey Center’s new leadership. “Intolerance towards people who are politically different is just as unacceptable as intolerance in other areas,” wrote Richard Grenell, a high-ranking Trump official who is currently the arts complex’s interim president, in an e-mail to his institution’s staff the day after the incident. “Everyone is welcome at the Kennedy Center.”

The facts on the ground support Grenell’s interpretation. In the month since Trump’s takeover, only a tiny handful of the Kennedy Center’s annual performances (some 2,200) have been canceled—in most cases, for intolerant political reasons by the scheduled artists themselves. The vast majority of performers have expressed no opinion, while some who have commented negatively also laudably maintain that politics should not affect their art or willingness to perform. The Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos, the soloist in the performance Vance attended, described the pre-concert booing as “shocking,” adding “I don’t agree with protests inside concert halls, where we come to listen to music … we have to respect someone who is democratically elected.”

Productions canceled by the Kennedy Center were either removed before the Trump-appointed leadership’s takeover, canceled for budgetary reasons, or, in one lone case, unsecured by contract. Reports of future innovation advanced by the new Trump-appointed board members have included badly needed renovation and upkeep, more Christmas programming, better restaurants, greater use of the arts complex’s as-of-now totally unused Potomac riverfront, gala fundraisers centered around fashion and other media designed to appeal to a younger demographic, and other apolitical ideas clearly intended to improve rather than ruin the place.

Much of the audience frustration at last Thursday’s concert appears to have resulted from a 30-minute delayed start time, a serious faux pas in a city known for its early bedtimes, sparse after-theater dining, and risk-averse populace. “Thanks for coming on time!” one audience member was heard to have sarcastically quipped in Vance’s direction, according to a report in The Washington Post. Long security lines mandated by the Secret Service due to the vice president’s attendance, according to the Post’s music critic, stretched across nearly the entire length of the Kennedy Center and were off-putting enough that some people simply left rather than wait to be screened and admitted.

The concert’s momentary disruption, however, proves a point. Even in a city where more than 90 percent of the population voted against Trump, large crowds still come out for entertainment at what could well become the nation’s leading arts center if improved programming, generous investment, prudent management, and continued attendance by elected officials at the highest level carry the day. The malcontent in the video may have complained that the Vances and their ilk have “ruined” the place, but obviously they did not do enough damage for him to stay home. Instead, he and hundreds of others came out for the National Symphony—in an all-Russian program of Stravinsky and Shostakovich, no less—to enjoy artistic excellence.

When President Trump visited the Kennedy Center on Monday to preside over a board meeting and tour the facilities, he promised massive investment through congressional funds, major structural refits, a revamping of the Center’s annual awards ceremony, and a focus on American musicals. Focusing on the national orchestral ensemble, which received a standing ovation from the same troubled audience later in the evening of Vance’s visit, would be an excellent start for these new priorities. If the capital cannot see it, Florida, which is now leading growth in many areas of our society, already has. Following the disrupted concert, the National Symphony has embarked on a five-stop tour to the Sunshine State, where sales look good, and audiences will not boo.