The Trump-Kennedy Center, formerly known as the Kennedy Center, is threatening legal action against jazz musician Chuck Redd, who'd canceled a Christmas Eve performance in protest of the institution being renamed in honor of President Donald Trump.
In a Dec. 26 letter addressed to Redd and obtained by USA TODAY, Trump-Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell threatened to "seek $1 million in damages" from Redd for what he called a "political stunt" that "has cost us considerably." The Associated Press was the first to report the news.
The 67-year-old vibraphonist and drummer on Dec. 24 told the AP and CNN that he'd canceled his appearance in the Christmas Eve Jazz Jam "when I saw the name change" taking place at the Kennedy Center.
"Your decision to withdraw at the last moment — explicitly in response to the Center’s recent renaming, which honors President Trump's extraordinary efforts to save this national treasure — is classic intolerance and very costly to a non-profit Arts institution," Grenell's letter read.
He went on to accuse Redd of falling prey "to the sad bullying tactics employed by certain elements on the left, who have sought to intimidate artists into boycotting performances at our national cultural center." Grenell also alleged that attendance for the Jazz Jam, which Redd has led for nearly 20 years, has been "lagging considerably behind our other Christmas and holiday offerings."
