At a dinner with the Kennedy Center board May 19, President Trump criticized the previous management of the theatre, accusing them of mismanaging funds. "I don鈥檛 know where they spent it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey certainly didn鈥檛 spend it on wallpaper, carpet, or painting.鈥�
Trump also criticized the Kennedy Center's previous programming choices, which he called "woke" and "terrible," saying that the "programming was out of control with rampant political propaganda, DEI, and inappropriate shows.鈥� He cited "dance parties for queer and trans youth,鈥� a 鈥淢arxist anti-police performance,鈥� and 鈥渓esbian-only Shakespeare" as examples, though without mentioning titles.
Earlier this year, Trump let go of the Biden-appointed board members of the Kennedy Center, as well as its longtime president, and appointed his own loyalists to the board. He also made himself chairman. Richard Grenell, who Trump appointed as president of the Kennedy Center, said that the theatre's $26 million deficit as well as its deferred maintenance was "criminal," saying he was referring the matter to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
In response to those remarks, former Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter has issued a statement: "I am deeply troubled by the false allegations regarding the management of the Kennedy Center being made by people without the context or expertise to understand the complexities involved in nonprofit and arts management, which has been my professional experience for 47 years." Rutter led the Kennedy Center for 11 years.
She also added that the Kennedy Center's board approved every budget and viewed every audit and financial statement. When Rutter departed from the Kennedy Center, forced out by Trump, the theatre had $10 million in reserve鈥攁 reserve that she helped build and which helped sustained the theatre during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.
, a representative for former Kennedy Center board chair David M. Rubinstein (who was also ousted by Trump) also defended the previous management: 鈥淲ith full transparency, the financial reports were reviewed and approved by the Kennedy Center鈥檚 audit committee and full board as well as a major accounting firm." Like any other not-for-profit, the Kennedy Center's financial statements are publicly available.
Rutter attributed Trump and Grenell's statements as an attempt to paper over the theatre's current situation鈥攚hich has seen shows (like Hamilton) and artists (like Issa Rae) cancelling their engagements there.
Said Rutter: "Perhaps those now in charge are facing significant financial gaps and are seeking to attribute them to past management, which would include the Board of Trustees, some of whom were appointed by President Trump, in his previous term. This malicious attempt to distort the facts, which were consistently, transparently, and readily available in professionally audited financial reports, recklessly disregards the truth."
Rutter is not the only Kennedy Center staffer to criticize the theatre's new leadership. The remaining staff members of the theatre have moved to form a union, saying that "We no longer believe our institution trusts us and we no longer trust our institution."
Since he took over the Kennedy Center, Trump has repeatedly and publicly complained about the building's current condition. He recently asked Congress to allocate $257 million to the Kennedy Center for capital repairs and other expenses, an interesting choice after all but eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts whose work of providing grants to arts organization nationwide was budgeted at $207 million. The center typically receives $43 million. Congress still needs to vote on that proposal.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, the Kennedy Center announced its 2025鈥�26 season of theatre programming, which included shows that have previously played the center (such as Spamalot and Moulin Rouge!) and non-union productions of Chicago and Mrs. Doubtfire. Mounting non-union productions was considered a cost-cutting measure, though it is a first in the history of the institution.
Then again, Trump's recent actions of ousting its leadership and installing himself at the head are also unprecedented in the history of the formerly bipartisan institution.
