Here's why Lin-Manuel Miranda and screenwriter Quiara Alegría Hudes cut a reference to Donald Trump from In the Heights. In the original 2008 stage version of the song "96,000", a lyric references the infamous American businessman who later became the the 45th President of the United States. Given that Trump's cultural persona changed significantly during his time in office, Miranda and Hudes removed his name from the film adaptation, directed by Jon M. Chu.
The song "96,000" begins at the 45-minute mark during In the Heights. Bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) learns that an unidentified customer purchased a winning lottery ticket, which prompts the main protagonists to discuss how they would use the money. Lyrically, "96,000" references many of the film's major themes associated with the American Dream, specifically in terms of how they relate to the neighborhood of Washington Heights. In the stage version, Benny states that "I’ll be a businessman richer than Nina’s daddy; Donald Trump and I on the links, and he’s my caddie!” For the movie adaptation, however, Miranda and Hudes swapped Trump for golfer Tiger Woods.
According to Variety, Miranda cut Trump from "96,000" based on the politician's actions and behavior while serving as the U.S. President. Miranda states that he initially viewed Trump as "an avatar for the Monopoly man," but decided to remove the reference when Trump became "a stain on American democracy." In the Heights focuses on a specific Latino community within Manhattan, and so, the original Trump line makes sense when considering his cultural reputation as an NYC, mafia-connected business mogul. Per Miranda, he removed the reference for practical reasons: "Time made a fool of that lyric, and so we changed it.”
In another interview with Variety, Hudes expands on Miranda's statements about cutting the Trump reference in "96,000". She states that the original line was meant to be "teasing," a way to acknowledge his reputation as a wealthy American who became even more well-known for being a reality TV star. Years later, Trump's legacy as a U.S. President became especially complicated because of disparaging remarks about women, minorities, and American immigrants. Because In the Heights is fundamentally a story about the legacy of Latino immigrants in the Manhattan neighborhood Washington Heights, Hudes knew that Trump's name had to be removed from "96,000":
"It got to a point where teasing didn’t quite cover it. There was so much harm and damage done to the communities that we were trying to uplift in this movie. In the spirit of the movie, his name doesn’t have a place in a teasing way."
In the Heights' release polarized audiences with differing perspectives on box office success. The opening weekend box office numbers imply that the film may be disappointing, but there are various factors to consider when assessing its cultural value, such as the simultaneous release on HBO Max and how Latino viewers react to the film. Just as Trump made reductive statements about American minorities while providing alternative facts to his followers, In the Heights has been ironically reduced to a box office failure, when in fact there's a much larger story to tell.