Trump Announces Plan to Take Over the Kennedy Center

President Donald Trump is eyeing the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

In a post shared to his Truth Social platform Friday, Feb. 7, the president, 78, announced plans to terminate current officials at the national cultural center and replace them with himself and members of his team. 

“At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN,” Trump wrote, borrowing from his “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.

“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!” he continued.

David M. Rubenstein is listed as the current chairman.

According to his post, Trump’s reasoning behind the decision seemed to be “drag shows specifically targeting our youth” that the Kennedy Center hosted last year.

“THIS WILL STOP,” Trump wrote.

He concluded, “The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation. For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”

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The Center released the following statement after Trump’s declaration:

“Throughout our history, the Kennedy Center has enjoyed strong support from members of congress and their staffs — Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. Since our doors opened in1971, we have had a collaborative relationship with every presidential administration. Since that time, the Kennedy Center has had a bi-partisan board of trustees that has supported the arts in a non-partisan fashion,” it read.

“While we are a living memorial to President Kennedy, we are also a unique public-private partnership. 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,” it continued, outlining the sources of its funding.

“The Kennedy Center is aware of the post made recently by POTUS on social media. 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,” it continued.

“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. 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 statement concluded.

Following Trump’s announcement, the Kennedy Center’s official website reported a spike in traffic, causing users to be redirected. 

“You are currently in a temporary waiting room to enter the Kennedy Center website,” a message read. 

According to the prompt, users would be able to access the website “as traffic subsides.”

Rubenstein, 75, was already set to retire in January 2025, but after Trump was elected president, he extended his role at the Kennedy Center until September 2026, the New York Times reported.

When Trump was elected president during his first term in 2016, he broke tradition when he opted out of attending the Kennedy Center Honors, the Times and The Hill reported.