WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump mentioned Friday (Feb. 7) that he’s firing members of the board of trustees for the Kennedy Middle and naming himself chairman.
He additionally indicated that he can be dictating programming at one of many nation’s premier cultural establishments, particularly declaring that he’d put an finish to occasions that includes performers in drag.
Trump’s announcement got here as the brand new president has bulldozed his manner throughout official Washington in the course of the first weeks of his second time period, making an attempt to shutter federal businesses, freeze spending and ending variety, fairness and inclusion initiatives throughout the federal government.
“At my route, we’re going to make the Kennedy Middle in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN. I’ve determined to right away terminate a number of people from the Board of Trustees, together with the Chairman, who don’t share our Imaginative and prescient for a Golden Age in Arts and Tradition,” Trump wrote.
“We are going to quickly announce a brand new Board, with an incredible Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!”
Not like former President Joe Biden and different commanders in chief via the many years, Trump didn’t attend the annual Kennedy Middle Honors ceremonies throughout his first time period, held on the performing arts venue in Washington’s Foggy Backside neighborhood that opened in 1971.
Shortly after Trump’s submit, the Kennedy Middle web site started experiencing technical difficulties. Guests acquired a message studying “We’re experiencing excessive site visitors” and have been redirected to a “ready room” that listed what number of tons of of individuals have been making an attempt to entry the location forward of them.
Trump advised in his submit that he can be implementing some adjustments to the middle’s efficiency schedule, noting that final yr “the Kennedy Middle featured Drag Exhibits particularly focusing on our youth — THIS WILL STOP.”
In accordance with its web site, the middle in July hosted a preshow titled “A Drag Salute to Divas” and a November “Drag Brunch.”
In his submit, Trump didn’t make clear which board of trustee members he can be terminating apart from the present chairman, philanthropist David Rubenstein. The board typically options political powerbrokers and main donors, and is at the moment made up of members from either side of the aisle.
Rubenstein was first elected to the submit in 2010 and reelected annually since that point. Additionally, the principal proprietor of the Baltimore Orioles, Rubenstein was initially appointed to the Kennedy Middle board by President George W. Bush and subsequently reappointed by President Barack Obama and Biden.
The present board options Biden’s White Home press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, in addition to Mike Donilon, Biden’s longtime ally, and Stephanie Cutter, a former Obama adviser. The treasurer of the middle’s board of trustees is tv producer Shonda Rhimes, who hosted fundraisers for Biden earlier than he deserted his reelection bid final summer time.
However the present board additionally options Trump allies, together with Pam Bondi, the brand new president’s just lately confirmed legal professional normal, and Lee Greenwood, whose tune “God Bless the USA,” was the unofficial anthem of Trump’s presidential marketing campaign.
Throughout his first time period in 2019, Trump introduced that he was tapping actor Jon Voight, a longtime supporter, to the board, together with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who he’s picked as U.S. ambassador to Israel this time.
