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

By Canadian Press on March 17, 2025.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday will visit the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he’ll take a tour and attend a board meeting.

It will be his first time at the venerable 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 and made himself 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.

“We have to straighten it out. It’s not a good situation,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday evening.

The Kennedy Center, which sits on the banks of the Potomac River, opened in 1971 and has enjoyed bipartisan support over the years.

However, Trump has a fraught relationship with it, dating to his first term as president. He skipped the annual honors ceremony each year, breaking with tradition.

Chris Megerian, The Associated Press