President Donald Trump dismissed half the appointed trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ board on Feb. 12, 2025. The remaining board members, most of whom he had recently appointed,

What will a thin-skinned showman do with an institution central to Washington’s cultural life? One expectation is more country music.

American folk musician Rhiannon Giddens has confirmed that she’s cancelled an upcoming show at the Kennedy Center in Washington in protest at its “change in programming direction”. Her statement comes after US President Donald Trump dismissed a number of board members and replaced them with those who are sympathetic to his views on what should and shouldn’t be performed at the prestigious venue.

Richard Grenell, the center’s new president, told a conservative gathering that the “big change” at the center would be a “huge celebration of the birth of Christ at Christmas.”