The Kennedy Center’s newly constituted board voted unanimously to elect President Donald Trump as its chairman Wednesday.
Trump announced plans on Friday to dismiss “multiple individuals” from the center’s previous board of trustees and chairman, who he said did not share his “Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.” The new board also voted to oust Debrah Rutter, who had served as the institution’s president since 2014. Trump told reporters Sunday he was assuming direct control over the prestigious venue to eliminate “woke” performances.
“President Donald J. Trump was just unanimously elected Chairman of the Board of the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The president stated, “It is a Great Honor to be Chairman of The Kennedy Center, especially with this amazing Board of Trustees. We will make The Kennedy Center a very special and exciting place!’”
The new board comprises Trump administration officials and allies, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutwick and his wife. Other appointees include second lady Usha Vance, Presidential Personnel Director Sergio Gor and Emilia Fanjul, the wife of a billionaire sugar executive.
Trump appointed former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell as the Kennedy Center’s interim executive director Monday, saying he would help purge “anti-American propaganda” from the venue. Trump added that Grenell, who served during the first Trump administration, shares the president’s stated goal of creating a “GOLDEN AGE of American Arts and Culture.”
“NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA — ONLY THE BEST. RIC, WELCOME TO SHOW BUSINESS!” the president wrote on Truth Social.
Before Trump’s takeover, the Kennedy Center’s programming included a “Dancing Queens Drag Brunch” featuring bottomless mimosas and gourmet brunch, as well as “Oh God, A Show About Abortion,” an off-Broadway comedy. The venue also presented “1776,” a musical that recast the Founding Fathers with performers who, according to DC Theater Arts, “identify as female, trans, binary, or gender-nonconforming.” All references to these performances have since been removed from the Kennedy Center’s website.
The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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