Former President Donald Trump condemned the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, calling it a "disgrace" amid outrage over a scene that critics claim parodied Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper". Trump criticised the performance and said, “I mean, they can do certain things. I thought it was terrible,” he said. “Look, I’m for everybody. I’m very open-minded… but I thought what they did was a disgrace.” Trump told 'The Ingraham Angle' on Fox News on Monday night that if he were to influence the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, "We won't be having a Last Supper as portrayed the way they portrayed it the other night." The scene featured drag performers and artists arranged along a table on either side of Barbara Butch, a lesbian activist and French DJ. Butch wore a halo-like headpiece as the group floated down the Seine on a boat in poses reminiscent of the biblical depiction of Jesus and his apostles at their final meal before the crucifixion. Although artistic director Thomas Jolly asserted that the scene was inspired by a pagan feast and not intended to mock Christianity, many Christian groups and conservative figures were offended. The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings. #Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/FBlQNNUmvV — The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024 In conversation with, French TV station BFMTV, Jolly said, "There is Dionysus who arrives on this table. He is there because he is the God of celebration in Greek mythology. The god of wine who is one of the jewels of France. And the father of Sequana, the goddess who is connected to the river, the Seine. The idea was to have a pagan celebration connected to the gods of Olympus." "You will never find in me a desire to mock and denigrate anyone. I wanted to make a ceremony that repairs, that reconciles, and also that reaffirms the values of our Republic: liberty-equality-fraternity," Jolly continued. The Olympic organisers apologised to those who were offended and stated they never intended to disrespect anyone’s religion. “Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think [with] Thomas Jolly, we really did try to celebrate community tolerance,” spokesperson Anne Descamps said during a press conference on Sunday, June 28. “Looking at the result of the polls that we shared, we believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence we are, of course, really, really sorry,” Descamps added.
