Ousted Kennedy Center president says artists must feel "welcome and safe"

Consider This from NPR

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🗓️ 14 February 2025

⏱️ 10 minutes

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Summary

President Donald Trump is now chairman of The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Trump replaced 18 members of the board with allies who then elected him into the position.

There is no precedent for this move – most presidents have been hands-off with the cultural center since it opened in 1971 – including President Trump himself during his first term.

Already, artists affiliated with the center have departed and performers are canceling shows.

For a decade, Deborah Rutter served as President of the Kennedy Center. This week, she was ousted from that position. In her first interview since then, she speaks with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly about the abrupt end to her tenure.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	President Donald Trump is now chairman of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
0:06.5	Prior to taking the helm, he told reporters he was doing it because Kennedy Center shows were, quote,
0:12.9	terrible and a disgrace. He also admits that he has never been to a show at the Kennedy Center.
0:18.9	I'm going to be chairman of it, and we're going to make sure
0:21.2	that it's good, and it's not going to be woke. True to his word, he ousted 18 members of the Kennedy
0:26.6	Center board, replaced them with his own supporters. On Wednesday, the new board elected Trump
0:32.7	chairman. So we took over the Kennedy Center, and we didn't like what they were showing, and various
0:37.1	other things.
0:38.1	There is no precedent for this move.
0:40.4	Most presidents have been hands off with the Cultural Center since it opened in 1971.
0:45.6	That includes President Trump himself during his first term.
0:49.3	Now he seems all in, posting on Truth Social that at his direction, quote, we're going to make
0:56.1	the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., great again.
0:59.6	There's no more woke in this country. This woke has cost us a fortune and cost us our reputation.
1:06.4	Already, artists affiliated with the center have departed, and performers are canceling shows.
1:12.5	Writer, director, and actor Issa Rae canceled her upcoming sold-out show at the center,
1:17.8	citing an infringement on the values of the institution.
1:21.4	Consider this.
1:22.4	The Kennedy Center hosts more than 2,000 performances that played a 2 million patrons every year.
1:29.1	How will President Trump's new role as chairman shape a prominent American symbol of culture?
1:37.8	From NPR, I'm Mary Louise Kelly.
1:41.9	Support for NPR and the following message come from Boland Branch.
	...

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