
Trump uses Kennedy Center visit to criticize the venue and tout his efforts to remake it
CNN
President Donald Trump used his visit on Monday to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to criticize the venue of which he’s now the chairman, claiming that it’s ripe for an overhaul, just like the country he now leads.
President Donald Trump used his visit on Monday to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to criticize the venue of which he’s now the chairman, claiming that it’s ripe for an overhaul, just like the country he now leads. “It’s in tremendous disrepair, as is a lot of the rest of our country, most of it because of bad management,” said Trump, who was elected chair last month by a newly constituted board, including several new Trump appointees who replaced trustees appointed by Democratic presidents. Trump’s visit comes as he’s has sought to reshape the renowned arts institution – installing political loyalists in top leadership positions and criticizing its programming for being “woke.” Trump on Monday called the Kennedy Center a “very big part of the fabric of Washington, DC,” adding, “We’re going to make our capitol great again, just like we’re going to make our country great again.” Trump has faced blowback for those efforts to remake the center, with Hamilton the most high-profile show to cancel performances in the wake of Trump taking over the board. Producer Jeffrey Seller said in a statement that they had seen “decades of the Kennedy Center neutrality destroyed.” But Trump suggested on Monday he was happy to see the production go. “I never liked Hamilton very much,” Trump told reporters of the musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, a modern telling of the country’s founding through the eyes of Alexander Hamilton, including a multi-ethnic cast.