Trump says he will fire multiple Kennedy Center board members and name himself chair
President Trump announced Friday that he plans to be a member of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Fire Committee and serves as chairman.
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The president said he would “immediately terminate multiple people including the board of directors, including the chairman, who do not share our vision for the golden age of arts and culture.”
He did not say which board member he planned to terminate. The board of directors has 36 members appointed by the president, each of which is every six years. The board of directors is distributed between Republican and Democratic appointments.
The Kennedy Center said in a statement that it “had not received an official White House news involving changes to our board of directors” but “knowing that some members of our board of directors have received notices of termination from the administration.”
The Kennedy Center noted that this is the first time the president has taken such an action.
“There is nothing in the Center regulations that prevents the new administration from replacing board members; however, this will be the first time that the Kennedy Center board has taken such action,” the statement said.
David Rubenstein, philanthropist and co-founder of Carlyle Group, has been chairman of the board of directors of the Kennedy Center for 14 years and announced that he is resigning September 2026. Deborah Rutter, who has served as chairman of the Kennedy Center since 2014, announced her plans last month Left off By the end of 2025.
Mr. Trump’s relationship with the Kennedy Center goes back to his first term in office when he announced that he and First Lady Melania Trump Will not participate The Kennedy Center received honors in 2017 after some of its recipients threatened to boycott.
According to its website, the Kennedy Center hosts more than 2,200 performances, events and exhibitions each year, with more than 2 million visitors each year. The center was founded by Congress in 1958 and provided memorials for John F. Kennedy. Along with the 36 members appointed by the president, the trustee also includes former leaders in the Congress-appointed government.
Before leaving the White House, former President Joe Biden appointed several new members of the board, including former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
