'The resistance' Comedy stars gather at flagship venue to ridicule president

Leading comedians have defied Donald Trump's takeover of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in a show that one described as "the most entertaining gathering of the resistance, ever".

- David Smith

Trump did not attend Sunday's ceremony for the Mark Twain prize for American humour honouring Conan O'Brien for his lifetime achievement in comedy. But Trump's ears may have been burning as comics and celebrities joked at his expense in what became a rallying cry for freedom of artistic expression.

No one was more direct than Sarah Silverman, who spoke about appearing on O'Brien's TV show. "They wrote a bit where Conan interviews Hitler, who comes on because he's embarrassed that he's being compared to Donald Trump," she recalled, "and they cast me as Hitler."

Silverman, a Jewish woman, was not an obvious choice for the part. "They chose me, and it's this way of thinking that makes Conan great again."

Turning to look at O'Brien, who has ginger hair, she added: "I just really miss the days when you were America's only orange asshole." The audience erupted in laughter.

Silverman also referenced an episode of O'Brien's show in which she took a sideways photo of his mouth so that it resembled a vagina. She urged the audience to look under their seats for a photo of O'Brien's lips then alluded to Trump's notorious boast on Access Hollywood about touching women's genitals.

She added: "You go ahead and leave those photos on your seat when you go. The guy who took over loves grabbing pussy."

Trump's seizure of the Kennedy Center in Washington has shaken the arts world. The fact change had come to the venue was clear from the moment celebrities walked a red carpet opposite a wall mounted with gold-framed photos of Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, and the vice-president and second lady, JD Vance and Usha Vance.

It was the first signature event there since Trump last month appointed himself the chair, pushing out the billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein.