Trump visits Kennedy Center for 1st time since installing himself as chair

Chris Megerian · The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 17, 2025 5:03 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

U.S. President Donald Trump connected Monday visited the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, wherever helium took a circuit and chaired a gathering of its committee of directors.

It was his archetypal clip astatine the marquee arts instauration since helium began remaking it astatine the commencement of his 2nd word successful office.

Trump fired the erstwhile committee of the Kennedy Center, penning connected societal media that they "do not stock our imaginativeness for a aureate property successful arts and culture." He replaced them with loyalists, including White House main of unit Susie Wiles, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Usha Vance, the woman of Vice-President JD Vance, and installed himself arsenic chairman.

The Republican president's allies person complained that the Kennedy Center, which is known for its yearly solemnisation of notable American artists, had go excessively wide and "woke" with its programming.

Speaking to reporters up of Monday's board meeting, Trump complained of "tremendous disrepair," saying the centre "represents a precise important portion of D.C. and really our country."

He expressed displeasure with the caller enlargement of the complex, known arsenic "The Reach," which features studios, rehearsal spaces and gathering facilities, suggesting helium would determination to adjacent up the spaces due to the fact that they deficiency windows.

Trump besides discussed plans to "improve precise greatly" the Kennedy Center and its upcoming creator programming.

"We are going to person immoderate truly bully shows," helium said, adding, "The happening that does good are Broadway hits."

Several artists and productions, including Broadway smash Hamilton, have backed retired of performances astatine the Kennedy Center successful protestation of the Trump takeover.

"I was ne'er a large fan, I ne'er liked Hamilton very much," Trump said successful response.

Trump besides complained astir staging costs astatine the centre, saying instrumentalist Lee Greenwood wanted to execute Monday astatine the archetypal committee gathering helium chaired, but it would outgo $30,000 US to "move a piano."

The Kennedy Center, which sits connected the banks of the Potomac River, opened successful 1971 and has enjoyed bipartisan enactment implicit the years.

However, Trump has a fraught narration with it, dating to his archetypal word arsenic president. He skipped the yearly honours ceremonial each year.