The Trump administration is lashing out at performers who have chosen to cancel performances at the Kennedy Center following Donald Trump’s recent decision to deface the cultural institution with his name.
In mid-December, Trump added his name to the center—in violation of federal law. A change to the building’s name can only occur via an act of Congress.
On Monday, the jazz ensemble The Cookers announced that they were pulling out of their planned New Year’s Eve performance at the center. In a statement, the group said, “Jazz was born from struggle and from a relentless insistence on freedom: freedom of thought, of expression, and of the full human voice.”
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The dance ensemble Doug Varone and Dancers also announced that they were cancelling their planned April performance at the center. The group told the New York Times that they would likely lose $40,000 as a result of their decision, which they characterized as “financially devastating but morally exhilarating.”
Richard Grenell, who was installed as the chair of the Kennedy Center by Trump, fumed about the announcements on social media.
“The artists who are now canceling shows were booked by the previous far left leadership,” Grenell wrote. “Boycotting the Arts to show you support the Arts is a form of derangement syndrome. The arts are for everyone and the left is mad about it.”
Of course, the artists are not boycotting “the arts,” but are acting in protest of Trump’s actions to turn one of America’s most well-known performing arts venues into yet another bastion of MAGA politics.
Grenell also previously announced plans to sue musician Chuck Redd for $1 million after he cancelled his annual Christmas Eve performance at the Kennedy Center. Redd told the Associated Press, “When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert.”
Comedy writer Toby Morton also provoked ire from Grenell after he preemptively registered the domains TrumpKennedyCenter.com and TrumpKennedyCenter.org, predicting the egotistical name change.
MAGA-adjacent events still appear to be going forward at the center, including a showing of the Amazon-financed documentary about Melania Trump, “Melania.” Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who has pushed his Washington Post to favor the administration, spent $40 million on the film.
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The public has shown little appetite for the Trump-infused era of the Kennedy Center. The recent broadcast of the annual Kennedy Center Honors, which was hosted by Trump, saw ratings plunge 35% from last year—under the Biden administration—to the lowest ratings in the history of the broadcast.
The name change is also being challenged in court. Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Democrat who sits on the Center’s board, has filed a federal suit over the illegal actions that put Trump’s name on the building.
In the meantime, Trump and his hijacked Kennedy Center will have to contend with a growing list of performers who want nothing to do with him.
