Richard Grenell will step down as president of the Kennedy Center, multiple reports indicate. Donald Trump announced Grenell's departure in a Truth Social post, according to major media. Matt Floca will succeed Grenell as president of the Kennedy Center, sources said.
Grenell was fired in late March, though the specific reasons for his dismissal have not been disclosed. The Kennedy Center has been renamed the Trump Kennedy Center, according to multiple reports. Trump's name was physically added to the building's facade, major media reports.
Ric Grenell has done an excellent job in helping to coordinate various elements of the Center during the transition period, and I want to thank him for the outstanding work he has done.
Scholars and lawmakers say renaming the facility must be initiated by Congress, raising questions about whether the change was legally approved. The Kennedy Center board of trustees unanimously voted for a renovation project, sources said. The renovation project costs $257 million, according to major media.
The Kennedy Center will close this summer for a two-year renovation, multiple reports indicate. Artists and performing groups canceled bookings in protest of the changes, according to multiple reports, though a full list of those who withdrew has not been released. The executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, Jean Davidson, left for another position, sources said, with the specific reasons behind her departure unclear.
THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER will be, at its completion, the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the World!
Richard Grenell reportedly threatened to reassign the Israeli lounge if donors did not provide renovation funds, according to The Independent - Main. Richard Grenell favored Trump loyalists in hiring and had no prior arts sector experience, according to The Independent - Main. Trump convinced FIFA President Gianni Infantino to hold the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center, multiple reports indicate.
Trump also hosted the Kennedy Center Honors, addressed House Republicans, and premiered a documentary of Melania Trump at the Kennedy Center, according to sources. The Kennedy Center has rebranded lounges, including the Circles Lounge to the SyberJet Lounge, sources said. Trump ousted the Kennedy Center's previous leadership and replaced it with a hand-picked board of trustees, according to major media.
You have to close it.
I think everybody agrees, but subject to board approval, we determined that the fastest way to bring the Trump-Kennedy Center to the highest level of beauty and grandeur is to cease the entertainment operations for a two-year period of time as we complete really high quality construction. The best way to do it is close it – do it properly, and reopen and have a grand reopening. When it’s finished, it’s going to be far better than it was when it was originally built.
It certainly would be a shame if we lost this room to a corporation or an individual and it was no longer the [Israeli] lounge.