Trump elected President of the Kennedy Center as its President fires

President Trump was officially elected President of John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, he announced on Wednesday and cemented his grip on an institution that he recently cleaned of Biden -appointed.

The center’s long -time president, Deborah F. Rutter, was then fired from her position, said two officials in the center. Mr. Trump recently appointed Richard Grenell, an ambassador to Germany during the first Trump administration, the center’s “Temporary Director.”

Mr. Trump posted on social media: “It is a great honor to be chairman of the Kennedy Center, especially with this amazing board. We will make the Kennedy Center a very special and exciting place! “

Mr. Grenell visited the center on Wednesday, according to an official in the center.

Trump’s actions have led to a scream in the cultural world.

Shortly after Mr. Trump was elected President on Wednesday, singer and songwriter Ben Folds said he would resign his position as adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra, which is monitored by the Kennedy Center.

“Given the development of the Kennedy Center, which today is today, I resign as artistic advisor to NSO,” Mr. Folds on Instagram. “Most often and above all, I will miss the musicians in our country’s symphony orchestra – just the best!”

Ms. Rutter said in a statement about her departure that it had been the honor of her career to lead the institution, which in addition to a stage art center is a memorial to former President John F. Kennedy. She didn’t say if she had been fired.

“The goal of the Kennedy Center has been to live up to our namesake, serve as a lighthouse for the world and ensure that our work reflects America,” she said. “I leave my position proud of everything we achieved to meet this ambition. From the art of our stages to the students we have influenced in the classrooms throughout America, everything we have done in the Kennedy Center has been about lifting the human spirit in service to strengthen the culture of our great nation. “

Kennedy Center, which has historically been run by Bipartisan boards of the past. On Monday, the Trump administration officially removed 18 board members who had been appointed by former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., and the chairman of the board, financier David M. Rubenstein.

The Sent A revised list of board members on its website Wednesday showing how much things had changed.

While the board had been grossly shared between the Biden and Trump -appointed until recently, it now consists entirely of the appointed 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 long -time Trump helper; and USHA VANCE, wife of Vice President JD Vance.

Ms. Rutter, the center’s president since 2014, said last month that she was planning to resign at the end of the year.