WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — In a post made on social media Friday night, President Donald Trump said he would fire members of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts board of trustees and appoint himself as chairman.
“At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN. I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture,” Trump wrote on his social media website, according to the Associated Press.
“We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!” the post continued.
The Kennedy Center said officials were aware of Trump’s posts on social media and that some members of its board have received termination notices from the administration.
“We have received no official communications from the White House regarding changes to our board of trustees,” a statement posted on the Kennedy Center’s website read.
The move, the center noted, would be unprecedented.
“There is nothing in the Center’s statute that would prevent a new administration from replacing board members; however, this would be the first time such action has been taken with the Kennedy Center’s board,” the statement continued.
The Kennedy Center’s full statement read:
Throughout our history, the Kennedy Center has enjoyed strong support from members of congress and their staffs—Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. Since our doors opened in1971, we have had a collaborative relationship with every presidential administration. Since that time, the Kennedy Center has had a bi-partisan board of trustees that has supported the arts in a non-partisan fashion.
While we are a living memorial to President Kennedy, we are also a unique public-private partnership. The Center is supported by federal annual appropriations for the upkeep and maintenance of the building as a federal memorial, or approximately 16% of the total operating budget. Support for the Center’s artistic programming comes from ticket sales, donations, rental income, and other revenue sources.
The Kennedy Center is aware of the post made recently by POTUS on social media. We have received no official communications from the White House regarding changes to our board of trustees. We are aware that some members of our board have received termination notices from the administration.
Per the Center’s governance established by Congress in 1958, the chair of the board of trustees is appointed by the Center’s board members. There is nothing in the Center’s statute that would prevent a new administration from replacing board members; however, this would be the first time such action has been taken with the Kennedy Center’s board.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
