Trump Plans Changes at Kennedy Center Board
President Trump announced plans Friday to fire board members for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and install himself as its chairman.
"At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN," Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The president said he would "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."
He did not specify which board members he plans to terminate. The board has 36 members appointed by the president, each serving six-year terms. The board is divided between Republican and Democratic appointees.
David Rubenstein, philanthropist and co-founder of the Carlyle Group, has served as the chairman of the Kennedy Center's board of trustees for 14 years. He announced that he would step down from the board effective September 2026. Deborah Rutter, who has been President of the Kennedy Center since 2014, revealed last month her plans to step down at the end of 2025.
Mr. Trump has a strained relationship with the Kennedy Center dating back to his first term in office when he announced that he and first lady Melania Trump would not attend the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017 after some of that year's recipients threatened a boycott.
According to its website, the Kennedy Center hosts over 2,200 performances, events, and exhibits each year, attracting over two million visitors annually. The center was created by Congress in 1958 and serves as a living memorial to John F. Kennedy. Trustees include 36 members appointed by the president as well as ex-officio leaders in government designated by Congress.
Before leaving the White House, former President Joe Biden appointed several new members to the board, including former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
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