Donald Trump replaces Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell following artist boycotts

Donald Trump has announced that the Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell is to be replaced.

It comes after a difficult year for the venue, which has seen a host of artists cancelling their performances and boycotting the arts centre, particularly after the board that presides over the building voted to rename it the Trump-Kennedy Center last December.

The move prompted jazz musician Chuck Redd to cancel an annual Christmas Eve show for the first time since 2006.

Despite the venue’s president strongly criticising Redd’s decision and demanding $1million (£740,000) in damages for what he described as a “political stunt”, veteran jazz septet The Cookers also cancelled two New Year’s Eve performances, and New York dance troupe Doug Varone and Dancers also axed two of their shows set for this April.

Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz then joined the growing list of artists boycotting the venue, saying it no longer represented “the apolitical place for free artistic expression it was founded to be”.

Posting news of Grenell’s departure on Truth Social, Trump said yesterday (March 13): “Ric Grenell has done an excellent job in helping to coordinate various elements of the Center during the transition period, and I want to thank him for the outstanding work he has done.”

Ric Grenell is out at the Kennedy Center — Trump taps Matt Floca as the COO and executive director: pic.twitter.com/AD8NQEX1VY

— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) March 13, 2026

Grenell will be replaced by Matt Floca, the Kennedy Center’s current vice president of facilities operations.

Trump also announced that the venue will close for two years for renovations after the forthcoming July 4th celebrations.

The fallout from the controversial renaming has already seen Democrats file a lawsuit to remove Trump’s name from the building, with Representative Joyce Beatty, who is designated a member of the board by law, describing the change as unlawful, as any renaming of the centre would require an act of Congress.

The venue was originally named after John F. Kennedy in 1964 as a “living memorial” to the assassinated former president, and his niece Kerry Kennedy has also vowed to remove the Trump name once he leaves office.

Meanwhile, South Park writer Toby Morton recently revealed that he bought the Trump-Kennedy Center domain names months ago in order to troll the US President.