President accepts ‘great honor’ after terminating Biden appointees and installing loyalist as interim leader. Donald Trump has been named the chair of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC following a vote by its board on Wednesday. The center, which receives federal funding, is one of America’s leading arts venues with a huge cultural profile in America’s capital and has long enjoyed bipartisan support.
The center’s board of trustees, which are selected by the president, is now made up entirely of Trump appointees. “It is a Great Honor to be Chairman of The Kennedy Center, especially with this amazing Board of Trustees,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Trump had previously appointed his longtime foreign policy adviser Ric Grenell as interim executive director of the center, following an unprecedented move in which he named himself as chair. The former Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter had announced last month her intention to step down.
“I hope I’m not saying goodbye as a friend and colleague to all of you, but I am leaving now,” Rutter said, addressing Kennedy Center staff members following the vote. “And I just want us to keep these ideals that we wear in our lanyard central to the work that we do. And they are from JFK and his family.”. The president has spoken negatively about the center’s previous operations, accusing them of hosting drag shows that are “specifically targeting our youth” as well as other “anti-American propaganda”.
Trump also spoke about his plans for the center to reporters, saying: “We’re going to make sure that it’s good and it’s not going to be woke. There’s no more woke in this country.”. According to the Washington Post, an email was sent on Friday to several Biden-appointed board members informing them of their termination. It read: “On behalf of President Donald Trump I’m writing to inform you your position on the board of the Kennedy Center is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service.”.
Reactions to Trump’s appointment have been critical from the arts community, with many people raising concerns about the politicization of the arts and the potential for censorship, which has already become evident in literature and education. Pete Souza, the former chief official White House photographer for presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, posted on Instagram his concerns about Trump’s control over the Kennedy Center.
