“Kennedy Center – panoramio” by jiazi is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

On Friday, Feb. 7, Donald Trump expanded his “flood the zone” legislative blitz to the world of the arts by announcing his intention to install himself as the chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In a post to his Truth Social feed, the President set his sights on perceived enemies to his “Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture” within the Board of Trustees, promising immediate termination to effect a change in the arts institution’s programming. Later that same day, the Kennedy Center responded with a press release.

“The Kennedy Center is aware of the post made recently by POTUS on social media,” the Center shared in a statement. “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.”

In his post, the President declared, “We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!” Trump will likely act on his intention to elect himself as the Chairman by turning over enough seats to obtain a voting majority in the Board of Trustees–which currently includes Pam Bondi and Lee Greenwood, the artist behind Trump’s unofficial 2024 campaign anthem “God Bless the U.S.A.” The Kennedy Center’s current chairman, David Rubinstein, was appointed by George W. Bush in 2004.

In 2017, Trump became the only President to skip the Kennedy Center Honors since its debut in 1978 after several honorees threatened to boycott the following White House reception. In a press briefing from Air Force One on Sunday, the President revealed that he had never seen a show at the Kennedy Center: “I get reports they were so bad,” Trump detailed. “I didn’t want to go, there was nothing I wanted to see.” If Trump’s campaign anthems can provide any indication of the sort of programming he’d favor as Chairman, audiences can expect the likes of Kid Rock, Cats and semiotically uncanny needle-drops of The Village People.

Trump’s ideas for the Kennedy Center at present are defined more by the sort of performances that would be omitted. “Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth,” he attacked. “THIS WILL STOP.” His comments have spurred condemnation from the drag community.

“This is about who gets to exist in public spaces and whose stories get to be told on America’s stage,” stated Blaq Dinamyte, president of Qommittee, a nationwide network of drag performers. “Banning an entire art form is censorship, plain and simple. Americans don’t have to agree on everything, but we should be able to speak our minds and perform our art without bans, retaliation, or intimidation.”

“Throughout our history, the Kennedy Center has enjoyed strong support from members of congress and their staffs—Republicans, Democrats, and Independents,” the Center detailed in its statement. “Since our doors opened in 1971, 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.”

For more information on the Kennedy Center and its upcoming events, visit kennedy-center.org.