Delta Pulls Support Of Trump-Themed 'Julius Caesar'

ATLANTA, GA — On Sunday, Delta Air Lines ended its sponsorship of a New York City theater over a production of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" that depicts the assassinated ruler as a Donald Trump-like presidential figure.

But the Atlanta-based airline made no such move in 2012 when a theater it sponsored in Minneapolis similarly presented the Roman emperor as a character much like then-President Barack Obama.

Delta pulled its corporate sponsorship of the New York City Public Theater's Shakespeare In The Park series, which is staging the 500-year-old production for free in Central Park. The move came after days of criticism — largely from conservative media — calling the play's depiction of a character resembling the president distasteful.

Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., joined the chorus, sharing a Fox News link about the story on Twitter and asking "when does 'art' become political speech?"

Bank of America also pulled its corporate sponsorship of the show on Sunday.

"No matter what your political stance may be, the graphic staging of 'Julius Caesar' at this summer's free Shakespeare In The Park does not reflect Delta Air Lines’ values," Delta said in a written statement. "Their artistic and creative direction crossed the line on the standards of good taste."

But there was no similar outcry in 2012, when The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis staged a production of the play in which Caesar was depicted as a modern-day politician resembling Obama.

Broadway World reports that Delta was a "Business Circle Sponsor" of the theater during that season and continues to donate to it. Guthrie told Broadway World that Delta sponsored its main-stage productions that year and that "Caesar" was not produced as part of that series.

"In this Caesar, Julius and his inner circle are dressed in crisp business suits, Bjorn DuPaty cutting an unmistakably Obama-like figure as the eponymous ruler," the Twin Cities Daily Planet wrote at the time.

For its part, The Public Theater is standing behind its "Julius Caesar" production. In a social media post, the theater notes that, in it, Shakespeare shows that using violence to achieve political goals can have disastrous consequences.

" Our production of Julius Caesar in no way advocates violence towards anyone," the theater said in the post. "Shakespeare's play, and our production, make the opposite point: those who attempt to defend democracy by undemocratic means pay a terrible price and destroy the very thing they are fighting to save.

"For over 400 years, Shakespeare’s play has told this story and we are proud to be telling it again in Central Park."

The statement says the theater "stands completely behind our production of Julius Caesar."

"We understand and respect the right of our sponsors and supporters to allocate their funding in line with their own values," it said. "We recognize that our interpretation of the play has provoked heated discussion; audiences, sponsors and supporters have expressed varying viewpoints and opinions.

"Such discussion is exactly the goal of our civically-engaged theater; this discourse is the basis of a healthy democracy."

Lead photo courtesy The Public Theater. Patch file photo of actor Bjorn DuPaty, who portrayed Caesar in the 2012 production.