Donald Trump on Friday said in a ranting post on Truth Social Friday that he has fired several board members of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in DC and will take the role of Chairman for himself.
His message also included homophobic insults, baselessly suggesting that the center’s decision to host a recent drag show was somehow related to pedophilia.
In a statement posted Friday night, representatives for the center didn’t push back against Trump’s actions, though they did confirm they are unprecedented. The group also touted its bipartisan history, for whatever that’s worth now, and said it has received “no official communications” regarding any of Trump’s statements. Ultimately, the group expressed what amounts to meek acquiescence, limply conceding that “there is nothing” in the organization’s statute to prevent Trump from taking such actions and offering no real criticism of the move.
“Throughout our history, the Kennedy Center has enjoyed strong support from members of Congress and their staffs—Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. Since our doors opened in 1971, we have had a collaborative relationship with every presidential administration. Since that time, the Kennedy Center has had a bi-partisan board of trustees that has supported the arts in a non-partisan fashion,” the statement said.
“While we are a living memorial to President Kennedy, we are also a unique public-private partnership. The Center is supported by federal annual appropriations for the upkeep and maintenance of the building as a federal memorial, or approximately 16% of the total operating budget. Support for the Center’s artistic programming comes from ticket sales, donations, rental income, and other revenue sources. The Kennedy Center is aware of the post made recently by POTUS on social media. We have received no official communications from the White House regarding changes to our board of trustees. We are aware that some members of our board have received termination notices from the administration,” the statement continued.
“Per the Center’s governance established by Congress in 1958, the chair of the board of trustees is appointed by the Center’s board members. There is nothing in the Center’s statute that would prevent a new administration from replacing board members; however, this would be the first time such action has been taken with the Kennedy Center’s board,” the statement concluded.
Earlier, Trump posted on his Twitter clone Truth Social, “at my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN. I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”
He added that the “amazing” new chairman will be none other than himself.
Then Trump smeared the center and members of the LGBTQ community and implied an authoritarian approach to cultural promotion, adding, “Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP. The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation. For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”
Some of the drag shows Trump seemed to be referencing were the “Broadway Drag Brunch” and “Bertha: Grateful Drag.”
David Rubenstein is the current chairman of the center and was set to hold the post through until 2026.
Among the board members who Trump intends to replace are two appointed by former President Biden: one-time White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and adviser Mike Donilon.
During his first term, Trump did not attend the center’s annual galas. In 2017, when the enter’s honorees included legendary producer Norman Lear. Trump and the first lady chose not to attend.
