Trump to attend Kennedy Center board meeting after takeover

[mahatmakanejeeves]

In The Know
Trump to attend Kennedy Center board meeting after takeover

by Brett Samuels - 03/17/25 8:30 AM ET


Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press
The Kennedy Center is seen Aug. 13, 2019, in Washington.

President Trump will visit the Kennedy Center on Monday for a tour and to attend a board meeting weeks after overhauling the cultural institution’s leadership and installing himself as its chairman. ... Trump is slated to visit the Kennedy Center at 3 p.m. EDT, according to the White House.

{snip}

Trump and his allies have sought to exert more control over the type of programming at the center, with the president saying there would be no more drag shows or “anti-American propaganda.”

Several celebrities have announced boycotts of the venue in response to Trump’s moves, and producers of the hit Broadway show “Hamilton” canceled upcoming performances at the Kennedy Center.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Politics
Trump expected to attend Kennedy Center board meeting Monday

By Ed O'Keefe
March 16, 2025 / 11:57 PM EDT / CBS News

President Donald Trump is expected to visit the Kennedy Center for a board meeting on Monday, two sources familiar with the planning tell CBS News[.] ... Organizers have arranged for the meeting to be held onstage at the venue's opera house. ... "'Riverdance' loaded out tonight, so they're onstage tomorrow," one source told CBS News.

There are costs associated with staging the meeting in the opera house at one of the nation's premier cultural institutions, like stage crew overtime, the sources said. ... "There is a ton of security, associated stagehand costs. They've changed the plan about five times in three days, so lots of extra work," one source said.

{snip}

Several artists, including actor and producer Issa Rae and the team behind the hit Broadway musical "Hamilton," have canceled upcoming performances in protest of Mr. Trump's February takeover.

Last week, footage posted on social media showed audience members booing Vice President JD Vance, who was attending a National Symphony Orchestra performance at the Kennedy Center.

Ed O'Keefe
Ed O'Keefe is CBS News senior White House and political correspondent. He previously worked for The Washington Post covering presidential campaigns, Congress and federal agencies. His primary focus is on President Biden, Vice President Harris and political issues across the country.
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© 2025 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[tanyev]

1. He's going to smugly stride in and preen like he wanted to do in the Capitol on Jan. 6th, 2021.

[Scrivener7]

2. Kid Rock is real excited to perform there. For a few months. Or years.

[cilla4progress]

3. The rest of the Board is skipping,

I presume?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. Unlikely. He's already stuffed it with his handpicked choices.

They'll be there to approve.

[twodogsbarking]

5. I picture slot machines and smoking permitted with near naked women serving drinks.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. Trump visits the Kennedy Center as he puts his mark on the national arts institution

Trump visits the Kennedy Center as he puts his mark on the national arts institution

The Associated Press
March 17, 2025, 3:45 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday visited the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he took a tour and chaired a meeting of its board of directors.

It was his first time at the marquee arts institution since he began remaking it at the start of his second term in office. Trump fired the previous board of the Kennedy Center, writing on social media that they “do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.” He replaced them with loyalists, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance, and installed himself as chairman.

The Republican president’s allies have complained that the Kennedy Center, which is known for its annual celebration of notable American artists, had become too liberal and “woke” with its programming. ... Trump complained of “tremendous disrepair” Monday speaking to reporters ahead of the board meeting, saying the center “represents a very important part of D.C. and actually our country.” He expressed displeasure with the recent expansion of the complex, known as “The Reach,” which features studios, rehearsal spaces and meeting facilities, suggesting he would move to close up the spaces because they lack windows.

Trump also discussed plans to “improve very greatly” the Kennedy Center and its upcoming artistic programming. ... “We are going to have some really good shows,” he said, adding, “The thing that does well are Broadway hits.”

{snip}

Copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.