The Kennedy Center has responded to President Donald Trump’s claim that he’d be making the cultural center “great again” by naming himself its chairman.
In a statement shared to its website and via email on Friday, Feb. 7 — just hours after Trump’s Truth Social post on the matter — the Kennedy Center revealed that it has “received no official communications from the White House” regarding Trump’s declared changes to its board of trustees.
“The Kennedy Center is aware of the post made recently by POTUS on social media,” the message read. “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.”
“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,” the statement continued. “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 response arrived shortly after Trump, 78, announced on social media Friday that he “decided to immediately terminate” multiple members of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees, including its chairman.
As of Saturday afternoon, David M. Rubenstein is still listed as the chairman on the Kennedy Center’s website.
In his post, the president claimed the cultural center — which has been operating since 1971 — did not share “our vision for a golden age in arts and culture,” referring to his administration. Trump then cited “drag shows” that he claimed were “specifically targeting our youth,” before telling his followers that the cultural center “must reflect” the “brightest STARS” in the nation.
Musicians who have recently performed during Trump’s inauguration events last month include Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts and Billy Ray Cyrus, among others.
As for drag events, the Kennedy Center has highlighted local drag performers in recent years, per the center’s website. Trump followed-up his post with an apparent AI-generated image of himself conducting an orchestra, with string instrumentalists sitting behind him.
In its response, the Kennedy Center noted that, throughout its history, it has “enjoyed strong support from members of congress and their staffs — republicans, democrats and independents,” having maintained a “collaborative relationship with every presidential administration” with a “bi-partisan board of trustees.”
“While we are a living memorial to President Kennedy, we are also a unique public-private partnership,” the note read. “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.”
As previously reported, Rubenstein, 75, was set to retire in January 2025, and following Trump’s election, he extended his role at the Kennedy Center until September 2026, The New York Times shared. During his first term in 2016, Trump previously broke tradition when he opted out of attending the Kennedy Center Honors, the Times and The Hill reported.
Trump’s latest public comments involving the performing arts come a month after he announced on his Truth Social platform that he was naming Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight as “special ambassadors” to Hollywood, which he called a “great but very troubled place.”
He noted that the three actors would be his “eyes and ears” as they serve as his special envoys for the entertainment industry.
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