Trump announces Ric Grenell departure as Kennedy Center head | Donald Trump
Donald Trump announced that Ric Grenell, the longtime Republican foreign policy adviser who oversaw sweeping changes at the Kennedy Center that caused many artists to leave the performing arts venue, will be replaced by the center’s vice president of operations, Matt Floca.
Trump did this announcement He stated that he replaced Grenell on social media and thanked him for the “extraordinary job he did.” Floca was: photographed in December I am personally overseeing the addition of Trump’s name to the center’s facade. Grenell’s departure comes as the Kennedy Center prepares to close for a two-year renovation this summer.
Earlier in the day, as US forces continued to clash with Iran, Trump said shared Renderings for the renovation of what he calls the “new, highly improved, TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER”!
Grenell, long known For his overly aggressive confrontations with journalists and political rivals on Twitter and subsequently on X As US ambassador to Germany and then acting director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term. He was appointed despite having no previous art experience.
Grenell was a central player in Trump’s effort to dramatically overhaul the Kennedy Center following the president’s return to office. Trump, who mostly ignored the center in his first term, has made it a focal point in his war against “woke” culture. He ousted the Kennedy Center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a hand-picked board of trustees who voted to rename the facility the Trump Kennedy Center; Academics and lawmakers say this change should be initiated by Congress.
More recently, Trump’s name was physically added to the building’s facade.
The reaction from the arts community was swift and intense, with leading musicals such as Hamilton canceling performances. Actor Issa Rae and author Louise Penny have also withdrawn from performing, while consultants such as musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming have also resigned.
Last week, Jean Davidson, general manager of the National Symphony Orchestra, left to head the Los Angeles-based Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
The venue became an extension of the White House during Trump’s second term. The president was instrumental in persuading FIFA president Gianni Infantino to hold the World Cup draw there in December. Just days later, Trump personally hosted the Kennedy Center awards, the first for a president.
Source “familiar with White House opinion” he told CNN Trump accuses Grenell of mishandling promotion of the Kennedy Center during his tenure. The president apparently blames Grenell for artists canceling shows after Trump appointed him chairman of the center’s board of directors and added his name to the center’s exterior wall, despite the lack of congressional approval to rename the monument to his assassinated predecessor.
Grenell emphasized what he called “common sense” programming, aimed at directing the Kennedy Center toward events that appeal to a wide audience and do not lose money. But his moves drew criticism from many Democrats on Capitol Hill.
Grenell was said to be in contention for a second term as secretary of state after Trump brokered the deal limited economic agreement It was the 2020 conflict between Serbia and Kosovo that the president mistakenly portrayed as ending the war between the two former Yugoslav regions that ended decades ago.
As independent journalist Jacqueline Sweet reported A week after the 2024 election, Grenell deleted more than 6,371 of his old posts on Twitter; These posts include tweets dating back to 2012, when he joined the Mitt Romney campaign as a foreign policy spokesman. was overthrown just weeks later when her corrosive posts came to light.
According to Floca’s LinkedIn page, he joined the Kennedy Center in January 2024 during the Biden administration.
A center press release from the time describes him as “an experienced facilities management professional with a construction management background and an appreciation for all building design principles.”
