Will Kennedy Center Survive Trump Derangement Syndrome?

The Resistance found a new target.

Artists are fleeing the Kennedy Center after President Donald Trump assumed control of the arts institution earlier this year.

• Whoopi Goldberg
• Shonda Rhimes
• Lin-Manuel Miranda
• Issa Rae
• Rhiannon Giddens
• Ben Folds
• Renée Fleming

And they won’t be alone.

Would any self-described progressive make the pilgrimage to the Kennedy Center in this climate? How many donors will slam their wallets and purses shut under Trumpian management? Yes, tourists represent part of the Center’s audience, but so do rich Beltway types.

The center sits in deep blue D.C., a region where conservatives are in the distinct minority. The culture wars rage on in Trump 2.0.

Will The Kennedy Center be a victim of those battles? It’s looking more likely, and the arts community should shoulder part of the blame.

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The Kennedy Center began with bipartisan roots. The institution bears the slain president’s name but got a sizable boost from former President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie, in the early 1960s.

The presidents helped kick off a major fundraising effort for the center’s creation, leading to its official opening in 1971.

President Trump’s first term saw similar Kennedy Center friction. The President chose not to attend the annual Kennedy Center Honors gala for four straight years, breaking tradition in the process.

Trump didn’t act alone.

Several major performers vowed not to attend the event if he appeared, so he decided to step back and let the show go on.

One could argue that artists fired the first shot in the current culture war battle.

President Trump’s Kennedy Center overhaul let him criticize the institution’s recent programming, like drag show performances for all ages. It’s part of his unofficial war on woke.

That message may resonate with his supporters, but the bulk of Kennedy Center programming is far less inflammatory.

Recent Kennedy Center headlines have inflamed matters, but the truth doesn’t perfectly align with the media’s anti-Trump narrative.

For example, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington won’t be performing at a Pride Month event tied to an LGBTQ+ children’s book called, “A Peacock Among Pigeons.” That decision came prior to Trump’s Kennedy Center moves due to “financial and scheduling” reasons, according to Billboard.com, but many assumed the opposite was true.

A production of “Finn,” a children’s show about self discovery, also got the ax. The news came the day after Trump’s takeover. Is this another example where the headlines don’t match reality? Could Trump’s team have moved that fast?

Possible. Also unlikely.

One potential solution comes with serious strings attached. Acting Kennedy Center director Ric Grenell could fill the creative void with the kind of art traditionally blocked by left-Leaning institutions.

Ohio-based Stage Right Theatrics brings a different kind of storytelling to the masses. Why not transport some of its shows to D.C., like its version of Andrew Klavan’s “The Uncanny.”

Similar moves would give under-served performers a chance to shine. It also would bring a blast of creative diversity to the Center. 

Surely other arts institutions across the country could use a similar closeup. That would raise their profiles and give Heartland artists a well-deserved boost. But would left-leaning patrons give them a look?

Both sides of the conflict have made mistakes.

Trump’s broad Kennedy Center critiques demand clarity. He singled out Kennedy Center drag performances for children without getting specific. Most clear-thinking adults understand the sexual nature of drag and can appreciate the need to keep young minds away from such performances.

He summoned the word “woke” in connection to the center’s programming, again sans details.

Artists, in turn, are continuing to “other” right-leaning Americans. The same philosophy that caused Kennedy Center Honorees to boycott a Trump-led gala during his first term has fueled Hollywood’s conservative blacklist for far too long.

Grenell hinted at that bigotry in his X response to Miranda’s “Hamilton” cancellation.

Seller and @Lin_Manuel first went to the New York Times before they came to the Kennedy Center with their announcement that they can’t be in the same room with Republicans. This is a publicity stunt that will backfire.”

“The Arts are for everyone — not just for the people who Lin likes and agrees with,” he continued. Americans see you, Lin.”

Trump’s blustery style is roiling political divides again, as are his lack of details. Yet the progressive arts community has been targeting conservatives for some time.

Celebrities have relentlessly demeaned Red State America. Have you watched an awards gala in recent years? 

Plus, broadcast platforms have targeted conservatives with hard-Left programming, from late-night shows to “The View.”

Conservative artists keep their views quiet lest they invite professional punishment. 

Team Trump is punching back for those who put him back in the White House. Fairly or unfairly, his actions aren’t happening in a vacuum.

The Kennedy Center hangs in the balance as a result.

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