Fears of donations slump after Trump takes over Kennedy Center

Former board members of the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington DC, ousted by President Trump, fear his political focus on the performing arts school will cause donations to dry up.

Several people close to the board shared the concerns with the Wall Street Journal, after Trump was elected chair this month. 

The vote came after Trump fired a number of the centre’s trustees, including its former chair, David Rubinstein, and appointed new members including his own chief of staff Susie Wiles and the Second Lady Usha Vance.

The new board has also confirmed Trump’s ally Ric Grenell as the centre’s executive director.

The moves prompted the departures of senior figures including the resignation of lawyer Robert Barnett as counsel, musicians Renée Fleming and Ben Folds as artistic advisers, and TV producer Shonda Rhimes as treasurer.

The comedian Issa Rae and rock band Low Cut Connie have cancelled shows planned for March at the centre. 

Some other performers planning to hold events at the Kennedy Center are considering relocating them, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

And the website Slipped Disc has reported that a scheduled performance by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington on May 21st as part of the World Pride event was cancelled without explanation and removed from the centre’s website.

The tension between Trump and the centre began in 2017 when three stars selected for the organisation’s annual honours indicated they did not want to attend the traditional White House Ceremony, which was scrapped during the president’s first term.

In a statement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Wall Street Journal: “The Kennedy Center learned the hard way that if you go woke, you will go broke. President Trump and the members of his newly-appointed board are devoted to rebuilding the Kennedy Center into a thriving and highly respected institution where all Americans, and visitors from around the world, can enjoy the arts with respect to America’s great history and traditions.”