Overview

• In February 2025 President Trump dismissed several Kennedy Center board members and installed himself as chair of the institution’s board.
• Multiple artists have resigned or canceled performances in protest of Trump’s leadership, including cast members of Les Misérables.
• In a New Yorker interview published May 27, Broadway legend Patti LuPone said more than once that the “Trumpified” Kennedy Center “should get blown up.”
• Kennedy Center president Ric Grenell condemned LuPone’s comments as “completely unacceptable,” accusing far-left extremists of violent rhetoric.
• The White House has defended Trump’s overhaul, with deputy press secretary Anna Kelly saying he seeks to revitalize historic institutions like the Kennedy Center.