Several artists cancel performances at the Kennedy Center renamed in Trump's honor
"The artists who are now canceling shows were booked by the previous far left leadership," stated Richard Grenell, president of the institution.
The Trump-Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Several artists canceled their performances at the Kennedy Center, which was renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center on Dec. 18 by its board of directors, made up of people close to the president.
Musicians who were due to play at the end of the year announced the cancellation of their performances, prompting anger from Richard Grenell, president of the institution.
"The artists who are now canceling shows were booked by the previous far left leadership," he wrote Monday night on X, calling them "activists."
"Their actions prove that the previous team was more concerned about booking far left political activists rather than artists willing to perform for everyone regardless of their political beliefs. Boycotting the Arts to show you support the Arts is a form of derangement syndrome," Grenell expressed.
"The arts are for everyone and the left is mad about it," he added.
Leftist artists cancel shows
For The Cookers, a jazz group that decided to cancel its Dec. 31 concert, "jazz was born out of struggle and a tireless stubbornness for freedom: freedom of thought, of expression," they said in a statement.
"We do not turn our backs on our public and we want to make sure that, when we return to the stage, the hall can celebrate the total presence of the music and all those who make it," the text picked up by AFP said.
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The Doug Varone and Dancers dance company, scheduled to perform in Washington in April 2026, also canceled its performances.
"In the wake of Donald Trump's latest decision to rename the hall in his honor, we can no longer afford, nor ask our public, to set foot in this once-prestigious institution," they said Monday on Instagram.
A unanimous vote for Trump's great work
White House spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, said the center's board of directors had "unanimously voted" for the change.
The decision was made "because of the incredible work President Trump has done over the last year to save the building. Not only from the standpoint of rebuilding it, but also financially and reputationally," stated Leavitt in a post on X.
The cultural center, an imposing white building located on the banks of the Potomac River is named for Democratic President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963. Opened in 1971, the structure houses an opera house, a theater and a symphony orchestra.
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