After a Trump-appointed board “unanimously” elected the president to be chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the arts community online was quick to criticize the president, who to this point has never attended an event at the premiere theater venue.
President Donald Trump replaced billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein as the chair of the Kennedy Center, long held as one of the leading bipartisan arts organizations in the United States. The 47th president also fired Deborah Rutter after she served the organization for 11 years.
Following Trump’s appointment as chairman, board member Shonda Rhimes, who served as treasurer, announced her resignation, and singer-songwriter Ben Folds resigned as artistic advisor to the Kennedy Center’s National Symphony Orchestra (NSO).
At the time of publishing, there are 33 active job listings open on the center’s website, including executive positions such as Chief Information Officer, Director of Major Leadership Gifts and Vice President of Developmental Operations.
Social media users soon flooded the comment section of the Kennedy Center’s most recent Instagram post with angry comments about Trump’s takeover of the board.
“Shame on every single Board Member that voted to make him the new board chair,” one user stated.
“Trump doesn’t care about the arts. He cares about power. The news is beyond upsetting,” another user commented on the post.
On Thursday, dozens of people marched around Washington Circle protesting the changes at the Kennedy Center and specifically Trump’s attacks on drag performances and trans representation on stage.
HAPPENING NOW: Dozens of people are marching from Washington Circle to the Kennedy Center, protesting President Trump’s takeover and attack on drag performances and trans people pic.twitter.com/fzkZuyVo4n
— Daniel Hamburg (@DHamburgReports) February 14, 2025
Following Trump’s appointment, the Kennedy Center canceled the touring production of coming-of-age musical “Finn.” The children’s musical follows the story of a young shark who is discovering his true self. The Kennedy Center described the character as loving “sparkles and bright colors despite being a shark.”
“It is disturbing to see the new leadership of this institution move so swiftly to suppress viewpoints they do not agree with. And it is beyond appalling that the art they find so dangerous is a joyful children’s musical encouraging young people to be true to themselves and follow their dreams,” the Actor’s Equity Association said in a statement responding to the cancellation.
Caelyn D. Williams, one of the actors from the touring production, responded to the board’s cancellation of the tour via Instagram, posting, “While it can easily be classified as ‘queer art,’ this show’s overall message was to be true to yourself; in the face of judgment, societal or family expectations or ostracization, always and unapologetically be who you are,” she stated. “That goes beyond the queer world. That is for everyone. And that is the message that is under attack.”
In an interview Sunday, Trump called the shows at the D.C. performing arts center “terrible” and “a disgrace,” before admitting that he had never attended a show there.
Reporter: Why do you want to be chairman of Kennedy Center board?
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 10, 2025
Trump: Some of the shows were terrible. They were a disgrace.
Reporter: Have you seen any shows there?
Trump: No, I didn’t go. pic.twitter.com/Jxwb9ulRfv
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump sat out every Kennedy Center Honors during his first presidency, breaking from tradition, after his predecessors headlined the event since it launched in 1978.
Former president of the Kennedy Center Rutter received an outpouring of support from the D.C. nonprofit and artistic community on her social media following her removal, with many applauding her leadership throughout her tenure.
“I depart my position proud of all we accomplished to meet that ambition,” she stated. “Much like our democracy itself, artistic expression must be nurtured, fostered, prioritized, and protected. It is not a passive endeavor; indeed, there is no clearer sign of American democracy at work than our artists, the work they produce and audiences’ unalienable right to actively participate.”
In addition to celebrities like Rhimes and Folds quitting their positions at the Kennedy Center, “Insecure” star Issa Rae canceled her sold-out March 16 event “An Evening with Issa Rae” following the changes in leadership. Some fans online suggested rather than canceling events at the performing arts center altogether, people should move them to other venues in D.C. like Lincoln Theater, Atlas, UDC Theater, Dance Place, Lisner Auditorium and Howard Theater.
Patrons online said their support for the organization may waver as Trump continues to “insert himself into every aspect of our lives.”
Below are other reactions to Trump’s takeover of the performing arts center:
I enjoyed going to the Kennedy Center but won't go again until Trump is dead & gone. I have other entertainment options but resent that this bloated, bloviating, crass piece of shit inserts himself into every aspect of our lives. All he does is make people's lives miserable.
— Henry M. Rosenberg (@DoctorHenryCT) February 12, 2025
Putting Donald Trump in charge of deciding what and who appears at the Kennedy Center is like putting a chimpanzee in front of a typewriter and expecting it to re-create Shakespeare, Keats or Dickens. pic.twitter.com/Dyhr0oPhke
— Mister Fox (@paulfoxone) February 9, 2025
Trump as Chairman of the Kennedy Center is like if North Korea put Kim Jong-un in charge of Coachella. pic.twitter.com/63LDMSsl4J
— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) February 12, 2025
