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The Controversy Over President Trump And 'Julius Caesar'

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In this May 21, 2017 photo provided by The Public Theater, Tina Benko, left, portrays Melania Trump in the role of Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, and Gregg Henry, center left, portrays President Donald Trump in the role of Julius Caesar during a dress rehearsal of The Public Theater's Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Julius Caesar, in New York. Rounding out the cast on stage is Teagle F. Bougere as Casca, and Elizabeth Marvel, right, as Marc Anthony. (Joan Marcus/The Public Theater via AP)
In this May 21, 2017 photo provided by The Public Theater, Tina Benko, left, portrays Melania Trump in the role of Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, and Gregg Henry, center left, portrays President Donald Trump in the role of Julius Caesar during a dress rehearsal of The Public Theater's Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Julius Caesar, in New York. Rounding out the cast on stage is Teagle F. Bougere as Casca, and Elizabeth Marvel, right, as Marc Anthony. (Joan Marcus/The Public Theater via AP)

In the New York Public Theater's production of "Julius Caesar," a Trump-like Caesar, with blond hair, a long red necktie and a Slavic wife, who tweets from a golden bathtub, is violently knifed to death in a political assassination.

The similarity between Trump and Caesar caused controversy, with sponsors Delta Air Lines and Bank of America pulled their financial support, saying that the staging "crossed the line on the standards of good taste." And, on Friday, a protester interrupted the performance, running up on stage right after the "assassination."

From the stage, she shouted, "Stop the normalization of political violence against the right! This is unacceptable!" The protester, who identified herself on social media, went on to say, "This is violence against Donald Trump," and "You guys are just as bad as ISIS."

Guest

Tina Packer, founding artistic director of Shakespeare and Company.

This segment aired on June 19, 2017.

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