The Trump Kennedy Center: The Changes Trump Made Since He Took Office

A sign altered in December 2025 marks “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons user Dclemens1971.

The Kennedy Center’s board of directors voted to shut down the building’s operations for two years, starting this July, pausing all entertainment opportunities and performances as the Trump Administration continues to make changes to the cultural hub. Citing repairs and renovations as the reason for the closure, President Donald Trump said the remodel will improve the center’s performing arts center and cultural offerings immensely.

“We’re going to ensure it remains the finest performing arts facility of its kind anywhere in the world,” said Trump.

The Kennedy Center was built in the 1970s to solidify America’s place on the world cultural stage. Commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the center hosts many forms of performance art — including theater, ballet, and more — and serves as a memorial to the late President John F. Kennedy.

Until recently, the center was a federally and privately funded foundation that received substantial bipartisan support. However, after Trump set his sights on making the center his own, more and more performers and donors have been pulling away, including the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton.” This has cost the center immensely in terms of image and finances; as of June 2025, the center has lost about 36 percent in subscription sales, compared to June of the previous year.

Trump began enacting changes at the center in February 2025 after taking office, firing Democrat-appointed board members and replacing them with his allies. Most notably, he appointed  Richard Grenell, the Presidential Envoy for Special Missions, as the interim board president. The board then voted shortly thereafter to make Trump the center’s chairperson.

Following the change in leadership, the board voted in December 2025 to rename the center the Trump-Kennedy Center. The center’s Vice President of Public Relations, Roma Daravi, said the name change honors Trump’s efforts as chairman to “save” the institution.

“The unanimous vote recognizes that the current Chairman saved the institution from financial ruin and physical destruction,” she said. “The new Trump Kennedy Center reflects the unequivocal bipartisan support for America’s cultural center for generations to come.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X that the name-change was unanimous. However, some ex officio board members — government officials who serve on the board to ensure federal funds are used appropriately — said they were excluded from the vote, with Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) stating she was muted on the call.

“I tried to push my button to voice my concern, to ask questions, and certainly not to vote in support of this,’ Beatty wrote in a post on X. “Each time I tried to speak, I was muted.”

Trump announced the Kennedy Center’s closure in a Truth Social post in February 2026, stating the decision came after conversations with contractors who advised there would be fewer “interruptions” if the renovation were completed during a temporary shutdown. He added that the $200 million project was already “fully financed.” Daravi confirmed that the administration garnered 257 million dollars to fund the project.

On March 16, the Trump-appointed Board of Trustees voted unanimously to officially close the center for renovations. Yet, this time, ex officio members — 23 of the 57 total members — were not permitted to vote, despite attending the meeting. Beatty spoke out against following the vote, saying she maintains “strong opposition” to any decisions made without full congressional support. Ex officio member, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), said he felt like a “prop” during the meeting because he was unable to vote.

​Trump announced in March that Grenell, whom Trump had appointed as interim director just two months prior, would be replaced by Matt Floca, the former Vice President of Facilities for the center. Grenell was controversial in his role as director, known for speaking only to right-leaning media outlets and for criticizing artists who spoke out against the center.

Trump’s changes to the center have brought it into the public conversation, attracting a wide range of new viewpoints. Many former employees and performers for the center have distanced themselves since Trump’s influence took hold. Former copywriter for the center, Nathan Pugh, left after Trump appointed his new board of directors, saying it felt as though the center’s values had shifted.

“Once Roma Daravi started overseeing some of my copywriting, I no longer felt comfortable having my name associated with the Kennedy Center,” Pugh said in an article in American Theater. “My writing there was never journalism, but from now on, there would be no clear editorial process to protect my words from being changed or censored.”

​Jean Davidson, the Executive Director of the National Symphony Orchestra, also left the center, citing the new administration being difficult to work with. Stephen Schwartz, Broadway composer, canceled his May 2026 appearance, saying the center was no longer a place of artistic expression but had become one of political bias.

The center is also losing support from donors and patrons. Former Kennedy Center president Michael Kaiser highlighted that most donors are regular ticket holders who choose to take their support for the center one step further. However, around 43% of tickets for typical productions remained unsold over the past year, leading the center to lose both short-term revenue and long-term support from these donors.

Trump said the initial changes aimed to make the center’s programming less “woke,” and that his continued efforts were an attempt to save the “failing” center.  The new, Trump-attempted board responded to the cancellation and backlash by saying the center should be centered on artistic expression, not political bias.

“You just made it political and caved to the woke mob who wants you to perform for only Lefties,”  said former president Grenell in a post on X.  “We want performers who aren’t political — who simply love entertaining everyone regardless of who they voted for.”