Since taking office on January 20, 2025 the White House has been a whirlwind of activity, orders, and firings.

Over the weekend reports surfaced that several board members from the Kennedy Center had been fired as a part of a takeover.

The potential takeover came about after a posting on the social media site Truth Social, “just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth—THIS WILL STOP.” 

In a statement from the Kennedy Center, those reports were confirmed with the president naming himself as head of the board in an unprecedented move.

Many of the board members who have been terminated were appointed by former President Joe Biden.

Originally appointed by President George W. Bush, board chair David M. Rubenstein is among those terminated.  He was scheduled to remain as the board chair until September 2026.

Until this past weekend, the board included 36 members – 18 Republicans and 18 Democrats.  Traditionally the board members elect their own chair.

The Kennedy Center noted, “throughout our history, the Kennedy Center has enjoyed strong support from members of congress and their staffs—Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. Since our doors opened in 1971, we have had a collaborative relationship with every presidential administration. Since that time, the Kennedy Center has had a bi-partisan board of trustees that has supported the arts in a non-partisan fashion.”

The Kennedy Center is a non-profit organization but receives a small portion of its funding from the federal government for “upkeep and maintenance of the building as a federal memorial, or approximately 16% of the total operating budget.”

Funding for it artistic programming comes from ticket sales, donations, rental income, and “other revenue sources”.

Each year the Kennedy Center holds the Kennedy Center Honours and pays tribute to artists from across the world of entertainment and their lifetime achievements and philanthropic endeavours with a gala event.  The current president has yet to attend any of those events.

Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter has announced that she will be leaving the position at the end of the year.

The current White House administration has also eliminated the Presidential Committee on the Arts and Humanities which was created by President Ronald Reagan

The complete statement issued by the Kennedy Center:
“Throughout our history, the Kennedy Center has enjoyed strong support from members of congress and their staffs—Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. Since our doors opened in1971, we have had a collaborative relationship with every presidential administration. Since that time, the Kennedy Center has had a bi-partisan board of trustees that has supported the arts in a non-partisan fashion.

“While we are a living memorial to President Kennedy, we are also a unique public-private partnership. The Center is supported by federal annual appropriations for the upkeep and maintenance of the building as a federal memorial, or approximately 16% of the total operating budget. Support for the Center’s artistic programming comes from ticket sales, donations, rental income, and other revenue sources.

“The Kennedy Center is aware of the post made recently by POTUS on social media. We have received no official communications from the White House regarding changes to our board of trustees. We are aware that some members of our board have received termination notices from the administration.

“Per the Center’s governance established by Congress in 1958, the chair of the board of trustees is appointed by the Center’s board members. There is nothing in the Center’s statute that would prevent a new administration from replacing board members; however, this would be the first time such action has been taken with the Kennedy Center’s board.”