By Dawoud Kringle
President Trump has once again damaged the arts in the US. This time, it was his takeover of the Kennedy Center last February.
In the first month of his second term, the president ousted the arts institution’s leadership, including chair David M. Rubenstein. He then filled the board of trustees with Trump loyalists and announced he had been elected chair. He appointed unqualified cronies, including Second Lady Usha Vance and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
In a statement to The Wall Street Journal, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “The Kennedy Center learned the hard way that if you go woke, you will go broke. President Trump and his newly appointed board members are devoted to rebuilding the Kennedy Center into a thriving and highly respected institution where all Americans and visitors from around the world can enjoy the arts with respect to America’s great history and traditions.”
The Kennedy Center is supported by federal funding and private donations and attracts millions of visitors annually. It features a concert hall, opera house, theater, lecture hall, meeting spaces, and a “Millennium Stage” that presents free shows.
It was first conceived in the late 1950s, during the administration of Republican President Dwight Eisenhower, who backed a bill from the Democratic-led Congress calling for a “National Culture Center.” In the early 1960s, Democrat President John F. Kennedy and his successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, launched a fundraising initiative and signed a 1964 bill renaming the project the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts into law. Construction began in 1965, and the center opened six years later, with a premiere of Leonard Bernstein’s “MASS: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers.
As a result of Trump’s hubris and inevitable imposition of ruin upon the institution (not to mention Leavitt’s arrogant Trumpist saber-rattling), droves of talented celebrities abandoned the legendary performing arts center in protest.
Actress Issa Rae announced that she is cancelling her “An Evening With Issa Rae” event for next month. Tickets will be refunded. In her statement on Instagram, she said, “Unfortunately, due to what I believe to be an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums, I’ve decided to cancel my appearance at this venue.”
Shonda Rhimes, who produced television shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Bridgerton, and Scandal, resigned as treasurer of the center’s board. On her Instagram, she posted a quote from JFK: “If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.”
Legendary soprano Renée Fleming resigned as artistic advisor to the center. She said on her Facebook page, “It has been a privilege to serve as an Artistic Advisor at Large to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. David Rubenstein’s leadership as Chairman is one of the many ways he has contributed to America’s cultural and historic heritage. He is the greatest patriot I know. As President of the Kennedy Center, Deborah Rutter has been a tireless, creative leader, successfully expanding our National Center for the Arts in visionary ways.
They have both inspired me, and out of respect, I think it right to depart as well. I’ve treasured the bipartisan support for this institution as a beacon of America at its best. I hope the Kennedy Center continues to flourish and serve the passionate and diverse audience in our nation’s capital and country.”
After stepping down from his role as advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra, which the Kennedy Center oversees, singer and songwriter Ben Folds stated “Given developments at the Kennedy Center, effective today I am resigning as artistic adviser to the N.S.O. Mostly, and above all, I will miss the musicians of our nation’s symphony orchestra — just the best!”
Adam Weiner of the band Low Cut Connie has also canceled an appearance at the center. “Upon learning that this institution that has run nonpartisan for 54 years is now chaired by Trump himself and his regime, I decided I would not perform there,” he wrote on social media. He added that friends and fans would be “directly negatively affected by this administration’s policies and messaging.”
Award-winning singer-musician Rhiannon Giddens canceled her upcoming performance, stating, “I have decided to cancel my show at The Kennedy Center on May 11, 2025, and move it to The Anthem,” she wrote on social media, referring to a separate Washington, D.C. venue. “The Kennedy Center show was booked long before the current administration decided to take over this previously bipartisan institution.”
For a long time, Trump has desperately wanted to be accepted by America’s cultural elites. Instead, he is being rejected for the cruel, tyrannical, ignorant, incompetent failure and universally hated buffoon all intelligent and sane people know him to be. His influence upon the Kennedy Center will lead to the complete ruin of this cherished institution.
