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Politics|Trump Says He Will Dismiss Kennedy Center Board Members and Install Himself as Chair
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/us/politics/trump-kennedy-center.html
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The move by the president, whose authority to make the changes was not clear, is the latest attempt to bring a Washington institution under his control.
- Feb. 7, 2025, 6:17 p.m. ET
President Trump announced his intention on Friday to bring the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington more firmly under his control, saying he would dismiss several board members and install himself as chairman.
“At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform.
Mr. Trump 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 added: “We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Mr. Trump’s plan to purge the board and appoint himself was first reported Friday by The Atlantic. He posted his announcement shortly thereafter.
The news stunned the world of arts and culture but was not a surprise to people who speak with Mr. Trump. In the weeks after his election win, Mr. Trump has been saying to people that he wants to be the chairman of the storied Kennedy Center.
The current chairman is David M. Rubenstein, the financier and philanthropist who has held the position for more than a decade. Mr. Rubenstein’s retirement in January 2025 had been announced, but after Mr. Trump’s election, the Kennedy Center said that he would stay in the role until September 2026.
