OAN Staff Sophia Flores
1:17 PM – Wednesday, February 12, 2025
President Donald Trump has been unanimously elected by the newly constituted board at the Kennedy Center to be the chairman of the institute.
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In 1964, the center was named as a memorial to assassinated former Democrat President John F. Kennedy.
On Wednesday, the president shared the exciting news on his Truth Social platform — expressing his gratitude. Trump declared that it is a “great honor to be the chairman of the Kennedy Center.”
“President Donald J. Trump was just unanimously elected Chairman of the Board of the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The President stated, “It is a Great Honor to be Chairman of The Kennedy Center, especially with this amazing Board of Trustees. We will make The Kennedy Center a very special and exciting place!”
At the time of his announcement, longtime president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Deborah F. Rutter, also informed the staff that she was stepping down from her position.
Rutter had been the center’s president since 2014.
“The goal of the Kennedy Center has been to live up to our namesake, serving as a beacon for the world and ensuring our work reflects America,” she said. “I depart my position proud of all we accomplished to meet that ambition. From the art on our stages to the students we have impacted in classrooms across America, everything we have done at the Kennedy Center has been about uplifting the human spirit in service of strengthening the culture of our great nation.”
While the news of Rutter stepping down from her post isn’t all that surprising, the specific timing of the announcement is — as she had announced last month that she was planning to step down at the very end of 2025.
Additionally, Ben Folds, the lead singer of 1993 rock band Ben Folds Five, announced that he was resigning from his position as well. Folds had taken on the role of artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra — which is overseen by the center.
“Given developments at the Kennedy Center, effective today I am resigning as artistic adviser to the N.S.O.,” Folds wrote on Instagram. “Mostly, and above all, I will miss the musicians of our nation’s symphony orchestra — just the best!”
In addition to Trump, other new members of the board include White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, Second Lady Usha Vance, director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office Sergio Gor, and Allison Lutnick, the wife of billionaire Commerce secretary nominee Howard Lutnick.
Trump has been outspoken in the past regarding how he does not want to showcase productions at the Kennedy Center that only promote “woke culture” — as it has in the past. The 47th president wants to showcase productions that appeal to a broader audience, not just leftists and liberals.
Earlier in the week, the commander-in-chief had named special envoy Ric Grenell as the interim director of the Kennedy Center. Then, on Wednesday, Grenell was chosen as the new president of the Kennedy Center.
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