You wouldn’t expect the board of an arts center to become as dramatic as an episode of a Shondaland show, but that’s the current reality as Donald Trump takes aim at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
After Shonda Rhimes quit the board along with Renée Fleming, the artistic advisor at large, and Ben Folds, the National Symphony Orchestra artistic advisor, Trump let 18 people go. Trump is not only saying inflation is Joe Biden’s fault, but also that he’s displeased with the 18 board members Biden put in place, because of course he is. Trump is now the new chair, and the new board members include JD Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, and Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff.
As the Huffington Post reported, the Kennedy Center’s official statement notes Trump is within his right to axe the 18 board members: “There is nothing in the center’s statute that would prevent a new administration from replacing board members.” However, they also said this hasn’t happened before. Trump also had a recent fit on Truth Social and complained about the drag shows performed at the center, saying they are “specifically targeting our youth.” Making the Kennedy Center Great Again?
As Jake Tapper explained on CNN, thanks to leaked audio, we know Trump said the vote to elect him as chair was unanimous; however, as people could likely guess, that is not true. It’s okay, though, because according to Trump, he’s going to fix the Center. In the leaked audio, he said, “It got very wokey and some people were not happy with it. And we’re not going to have that.” He also said what might be one of his most ridiculous statements ever uttered, which was, “I think we’re going to make it hot. And we made the presidency hot, so this should be easy.”
Sorry. How can you make an arts center “hot?” The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts honors former U.S. president John F. Kennedy Kennedy, as the name suggests, and also puts on incredible ballet, theatrical, and musical performances. Of course, no one would expect Trump to care about art, so it looks like he’s planning to do away with any semblance of the former administration’s influence on the center the way he has made an effort to dismantle all of Biden’s previous policies.
Shifts are apparently on the way. As reported by CBS News, it’s thought that the section of the website that says the Center is on land belonging to the Piscataway and Nacotchtank native nations will be deleted. Trump also wants the programming to be different, as a source explained, but there are no details about what that means. Perhaps performances celebrating him and his administration? (I shouldn’t even put that idea out into the universe.)
Also, if you’re so busy being, you know, the president, how do you have time to be the chair of the Kennedy Center board? Maybe it’s not a great idea for the president of the United States to also hold this position? Just a thought. But there’s a first time for everything, and it looks like Trump has decided he’s going to insert himself into places where few people want him. After all, Trump was the only sitting president to attend the Super Bowl.
The Center celebrates the evolving nature of storytelling, and it’s frightening to imagine the influence Trump could have on the next four years of stories being told there. Words are powerful, and so perhaps the former Kennedy Center president, Deborah Rutter, said it best when she left: “Much like our democracy itself, artistic expression must be nurtured, fostered, prioritized, and protected.” And, if Grey’s Anatomy can endure for 21 seasons, hopefully the Kennedy Center can survive this, too.
Published: Feb 13, 2025 03:42 pm