The Kennedy Heart is Washington’s premier appearing arts heart, and its board contains a number of cultural and political elites.
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump on Feb. 7 stated he’s going to hearth the chairman and a couple of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Heart for Appearing Arts in Washington, D.C., and identify himself because the board’s new chairman.
The Kennedy Heart, opened in 1971, is the primary venue for appearing arts in Washington. Once a year, it hosts the Kennedy Heart Honors, which acknowledge lifetime contributions to American tradition and are some of the maximum prestigious appearing arts awards in the USA. The middle is ruled by means of a Board of Trustees, which contains each appointees of the President of the USA and several other ex-officio contributors designed by means of Act of Congress, akin to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Los angeles.), Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Senate Majority Chief John Thune (R-S.D.), and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, amongst others.
On Feb. 7, Trump introduced in a publish on TruthSocial that he was once pushing aside the chairman, David Mark Rubenstein, and different presidentially appointed contributors of the board—declaring {that a} new board of trustees, with himself because the chairman, would quickly be introduced.
“At my course, we’re going to make the Kennedy Heart in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN. I’ve made up our minds to instantly terminate a couple of people from the Board of Trustees, together with the Chairman, who don’t proportion our Imaginative and prescient for a Golden Age in Arts and Tradition,” wrote Trump. “We can quickly announce a brand new Board, with a great Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!”
- Advertisement -
Trump accused the board of reproachable habits by means of allegedly allowing lurid performances on the Kennedy Heart. “Simply final yr, the Kennedy Heart featured Drag Presentations in particular concentrated on our formative years — THIS WILL STOP,” he wrote. “The Kennedy Heart is an American Jewel and will have to mirror the brightest STARS on its level from all throughout our Country. For the Kennedy Heart, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”
Rubenstein, the pushed aside chairman, is a billionaire who’s the co-chairman of The Carlyle Team, a non-public fairness company, and proprietor of the Baltimore Orioles, a Primary League Baseball staff. Rubenstein is one among Washington’s maximum well-connected males and largest philanthropists, who was once awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by means of President Joe Biden in a while earlier than Biden left place of work this yr. Except the Kennedy Heart, Rubenstein chairs the College of Chicago’s Board of Trustees, and the Council on International Family members‘ board of administrators, and is president of the Alfalfa Membership, a non-public and unique workforce of high-ranking politicians and industry leaders.
Trump and Rubenstein have in the past had shut members of the family. In 2014, Rubenstein—who additionally chairs the Financial Membership of Washington, D.C.—interviewed Trump earlier than he introduced his candidacy for president within the 2016 election. Throughout the interview, Trump signaled his goal to run.
It stays unclear who Trump has terminated from the board, and who he’s going to appoint in lieu. Sooner than Trump’s publish, the board’s presidential appointees already incorporated a number of Democratic and Republican contributors in addition to Trump allies. Legal professional Basic Pamela Bondi, singer and “God Bless the usA.” songwriter Lee Greenwood, former White Space press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao—the spouse of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)—and Mike Donilon, who’s one among Biden’s longtime political advisers, are some notable contributors.
The Kennedy Heart didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
