During his first term, President Trump ably governed the nation to ensure prosperity but overlooked the cultural aspect. Perhaps he underestimated the effect of arts and culture in shaping public opinion.
Consequently, there was no impact on places such as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center.
The Kennedy Center’s activities are partially funded through ticket sales and gifts from individuals, corporations, and private foundations. The construction of the Kennedy Center was funded by a combination of private contributions ($34.5 million), federal matching funds ($23.0 million), and long-term revenue bonds held by the U.S. Department of Treasury ($20.4 million).
Despite receiving federal funds, the center purposefully and maliciously honored Trump’s most vocal detractors such as Philip Glass, Cher, Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Dick Van Dyke from 2017 to 2020 when Trump was in office. Consequently, President Trump and First Lady Melania skipped all Kennedy Center Honors ceremonies.
This is a typical occurrence for places of arts and culture.
Liberals gradually infiltrate the organization, and when they have a sufficient number, there is a total takeover. In time, the arts and culture take a back seat, and the focus shifts to pushing political propaganda and advancing the liberal agenda. This enables them to surreptitiously slide the Overton window toward the Left and normalize ideas that were once considered abhorrent by the mainstream.
Trump has learned a great deal after his first term. He has decided that this time, he isn’t going to suffer in silence while hateful liberals run wild. Last month, Trump announced that he is the new chairman of the Kennedy Center Board and had dismissed several members of the Board of Trustees. Richard Grenell was appointed President of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees and the previous President, Deborah Rutter.
But now that Trump has taken over, liberals are not only throwing a fit but also engaging in a boycotts and protests.
The producers of the musical Hamilton announced they were canceling a 2026 run in protest. Some drag ‘artists’ who previously appeared at the Center are planning a protest march to the Center. Whoopie Goldberg pledged to not attend any event at the Center in protest.
Be it the news media or places such has the Kennedy Center, liberals always brand organizations that serve their agenda as apolitical and bipartisan. But when conservatives attempt to restore normalcy, there is widespread outcry and the act is called a hostile takeover.
The Kennedy Center released a list of show cancellations and postponements, showing that more than 20 programs were dropped due to poor ticket sales or by the artists themselves.
Two days back, President Donald Trump announced that Fox News hosts Maria Bartiromo and Laura Ingraham will be joining the board at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, adding that he looks “forward to restoring the Center to Greatness.”
Other trustees include the likes of Pamela Bondi, Dan Scavino, and Elaine Chao
Yes, you read that correctly, the Mrs. Mitch McConnell is also a trustee.
Now, for a bit about Chao’s background.
founded by Chao’s father. Chao’s sister, the late Angela Chao, was the chair and CEO from 2018 to 2024. Chao had no formal ties to the business, but her family has business interests in China and close ties with Chinese elites.
When Chao was appointed Secretary of Transportation by President Trump during his first term, there were reports that Chao used her office to promote her family’s shipping business, even trying to include family members in high-level meetings with Chinese government officials.
In 2022, during the midterms, President Trump had also called out Chao in a Truth Social post when he urged her husband to “spend more time (and money!) helping them (Republicans) get elected, and less time helping his crazy wife and family get rich on China!”
There were also allegations that Chaos misused her office to boost her husband Mitch‘s political fortunes by showering attention and grant money on McConnell’s constituents and his Kentucky supporters.
Chao resigned after the January 6 protests went overboard. In her resignation, she claimed that the “traumatic and entirely avoidable” violence had “deeply troubled” her. Chao was pushing the insurrection hoax.
McConnell himself is a staunch adversary of Trump and the MAGA movement. He was among those who didn’t vote to confirm some of Trump’s cabinet nominees. During electoral contests he is known to withhold or even cancel funds for campaigns of Senate candidates who support the MAGA agenda.
Trump’s purge of the Kennedy Center is necessary, but a chain is as strong as its weakest link, and Chao is that weak link.
Chao was not only disloyal to Trump, she was probably corrupt and could have ties to America’s arch-nemesis China, and her husband is no better.
The likes of McConnell and Chao always will remain focused on destroying both Trump and the MAGA agenda. They never left any opportunity to collude with the Democrats whenever they were mounting baseless attacks on Trump. Their actions were not due to error or misunderstanding; they were purposeful and vindictive.
There is no reason to offer them an olive branch by such key appointments to an important organization and give them a new lease of life. There are plenty of Trump supporters in the arts who deserve to be trustees at the Kennedy Center.
Hopefully, the appointment of Chao is the result of an error.
Hopefully, this error will be immediately remedied.
Image: The Kennedy Center
Jesus Christ is King
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