Grenell, long known for his hyper-aggressive confrontations with journalists and political rivals on Twitter and then X, served as US ambassador to Germany and then acting director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term. He was appointed despite no prior arts experience.
The venue became something of an extension of Trump’s White House during his second term. The president was instrumental in convincing Fifa president Gianni Infantino to hold the World Cup draw there in December. Just a few days later, Trump himself hosted the Kennedy Center honors, the first for a president.
Chaos at the Kennedy Center: Everything That Happened This Year Under D. T.
Board takeover, cancellations, protests, and a legally dubious name change marked Trump's first year in charge of the famed cultural institution
Though it’s far from the most deranged or obscene thing to happen during the first year of Donald Trump’s second stint in the White House, the fight over the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has certainly been one of the weirdest and most ridiculous.
Almost immediately after taking office again in January, Trump moved to take over the preeminent cultural institution. In an effort to make the Kennedy Center “GREAT AGAIN,” as he wrote on Truth Social back in February, Trump gutted the center’s bipartisan board, installed a crony as interim executive director, and — to cap it all off — made himself chairman. In December, Trump’s handpicked board voted to add the president’s name to the building, with the new signage going up on the facade even as the move was flagged as legally dubious.
The president’s obsession with the Kennedy Center also isn’t surprising: It’s exactly the kind of reputable, star-studded space long frequented by people who’ve never cared much for Trump; and his desire to remake the Center in his own image speaks to the theory that, maybe all of this could’ve been avoided, if Trump had just become a successful Broadway producer.
With more insanity likely to come in 2026, here’s a rundown of everything that’s happened with Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center this year.
Seven days after Trump’s inauguration, the Kennedy Center’s longtime president, Deborah Rutter, stepped down. A few weeks later, Trump announced his intention to gut the board, writing on Truth Social: “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. We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!”
As Trump’s changes took hold, many big names involved with the Kennedy Center cut ties. Star soprano Renée Fleming announced that she would step down as an artistic advisor; Shonda Rhimes resigned as treasurer; and Ben Folds resigned as an adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra, which the Kennedy Center oversees. “Not for me,” Folds wrote on Instagram as he announced his resignation.
Some artists began cancelling Kennedy Center shows, too, including Issa Rae, Philadelphia rock band Low Cut Connie, and celebrated singer-songwriter Rhiannon Giddens.
Lin-Manuel Miranda even called off a scheduled revival of Hamilton originally set for spring 2026. “This latest action by Trump means it’s not the Kennedy Center as we knew it,” Miranda said at the time. “The Kennedy Center was not created in this spirit, and we’re not going to be a part of it while it is the Trump Kennedy Center. We’re just not going to be part of it.”
One big show that did go on as planned was the annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which took place in March and recognized Conan O’Brien. The event wound up doubling as a kind of roast of Trump’s takeover, while O’Brien later explained his reasons for going ahead with the show. Noting that the old Kennedy Center “regime” selected him for the honor, O’Brien said he “felt like it was important to show up,” adding, “It was really lovely because the young people working at the Kennedy Center for years were delighted that we came. They don’t know what their future is.”
Many of the Kennedy Center’s regular attendees weren’t too happy with the changes either. In March, a video emerged of Vice President J.D. Vance being booed ahead of a concert. When Trump attended a performance of the musical Les Misérables on June 11, he was also booed, and at least 10 members of the cast boycotted the show in protest. - Read the article on Rolling Stone.
The president of the Kennedy Center is seeking $1million from a musician who cancelled a Christmas Eve show after Donald Trump’s name was added to the building.
Last week (December 19), the board that presides over the Washington D.C. arts centre, which is closely allied with Trump, voted to rename the building as the Trump Kennedy Center, prompting jazz musician Chuck Redd to cancel an annual Christmas Eve show.
Redd has overseen the Jazz Jams at the venue during the holiday season since 2006, but after learning of the renaming decision, he decided to call off the show this time around.
“When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,” Redd said.
Now, the venue’s president Richard Grenell has strongly criticised Redd’s decision and demanded $1million (£740,000) in damages for what he has described as a “political stunt”.
Democrats have already filed a lawsuit to remove Trump’s name from the building, with Representative Joyce Beatty, who is designated a member of the board by law, describing the change as unlawful as any renaming of the centre would require an act of Congress (via BBC).
The venue was originally named after John F. Kennedy in 1964 as a “living memorial” to the assassinated former president, and his niece Kerry Kennedy has also vowed to remove the Trump name once he leaves office.
