Trump Said He's Seizing Kennedy Center Because Its 'Woke' Shows Are 'Terrible.' Now He Admits He's Never Seen One

Mar. 15, 2025

A photo of Donald Trump and the Kennedy Center.Photo:Anna Moneymaker/Getty; AP Photo/J. David Ake

Anna Moneymaker/Getty; AP Photo/J. David Ake

PresidentDonald Trumpis sharing why he’s setting his sights on the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

While taking questions aboard Air Force One en route to the2025 Super Bowlon Sunday, Feb. 9, Trump was asked about the reason behind his stunning plan to fire the board of the national cultural center andname himself chairman.

“I want to make sure it runs properly,” Trump said. “We don’t need woke at the Kennedy Center, and we don’t need — some of the shows were terrible. They were a disgrace that they were even put on.”

“So I’ll be there until such time that it is running right,” he added.

A reporter asked a follow up question about whether he had “seen any shows there,” to which the president responded, “No.”

“I get reports they were so bad… I didn’t want to go,” he explained. “There was nothing I wanted to see.”

On Monday, Feb. 10, Trump announced onTruth Socialthat his special envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, would be the interim executive director of the Kennedy Center, writing: “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA — ONLY THE BEST. RIC, WELCOME TO SHOW BUSINESS!”

President Donald Trump speaks at his Miami golf club on Jan. 27, 2025.Joe Raedle/Getty

Joe Raedle/Getty

Trump previously announced his plans to replace previous Chair David M. Rubenstein on Truth Social on Friday, Feb. 7.

He wrote, in part, on the social media platform, “I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture. We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!”

Trump once again cited that his reasoning behind the decision stemmed from “drag shows specifically targeting our youth” that the Kennedy Center hosted last year. He added, “THIS WILL STOP.”

source: people.com