President Trump was officially elected chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, he announced on Wednesday, cementing his grip on an institution that he recently purged of Biden appointees.
Mr. Trump posted on social media: “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 same time, the center’s longtime president, Deborah F. Rutter, announced to staff that she was stepping down. Mr. Trump recently named Richard Grenell, who was ambassador to Germany during the first Trump administration, the center’s “interim executive director.” Mr. Grenell visited the center of Wednesday, according to an official at the center.
Mr. Trump’s actions have prompted an outcry in the cultural world.
Shortly after Mr. Trump was elected chairman on Wednesday, the singer and songwriter Ben Folds said he would resign his post as an adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra, which is overseen by the Kennedy Center.
“Given developments at the Kennedy Center, effective today I am resigning as artistic adviser to the N.S.O.,” Mr. Folds wrote on Instagram. “Mostly, and above all, I will miss the musicians of our nation’s symphony orchestra — just the best!”
Ms. Rutter said in a statement that it had been the honor of her career to lead the institution, which, in addition to a performing arts center, is a memorial to former President John F. Kennedy.
“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.”
The Kennedy Center, which has historically been run by bipartisan boards in the past, posted a revised list of board members on its website on Wednesday that showed how much things had changed.
While the board had been roughly split between Biden and Trump appointees until recently, it is now entirely made up of appointees of Mr. Trump. The new board members include a litany of Trump loyalists, including the president’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles; Dan Scavino, a longtime Trump aide, and Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance.
