Feb. 8 (UPI) — President Donald Trump has fired several members of the board of trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and made himself the center’s chairman.
“At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., GREAT AGAIN [sic],” Trump said in a Truth Social post late Friday afternoon.
“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,” Trump said.
“We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP! [sic]”
Billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein, an ally of former President Joe Biden, was to be the chairman until 2026.
Kennedy Center officials said Trump’s social media post is the first they have heard of a potential change in the center’s leadership but affirmed some board members have received termination letters.
“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,” center officials said in an online statement.
The statement said Kennedy Center officials “are aware that some members of our board have received termination notices from the administration.”
Trump could not be made the center’s chairman without an affirming vote from its board of trustees.
“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 said.
Firing some members of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees might enable Trump to seat new members who would support naming him as chairman.
“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 Kennedy Center statement said.
The Kennedy Center has enjoyed strong bipartisan support among members of Congress since opening in 1971, the statement said.
The center’s board of trustees have had bipartisan members who have “supported the arts in a non-partisan manner,” the statement says.
“While we are a living memorial to President Kennedy, we are also a unique public-private partnership,” the statement said.
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.
Trump suggested the center’s artistic programming has become more partisan in recent years.
“Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth – THIS WILL STOP,” Trump said in his Truth Social Post.
“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! [sic]” Trump said.
Trump did not attend the Kennedy Center’s annual gala during his first term.