WASHINGTON – One year after naming himself chair of the Kennedy Center, President Donald Trump presided over the performing arts center’s board as it voted unanimously on March 16 to approve the president’s proposed renovations and shutdown the center for two years.
Last year, Trump fired all members of the board and installed handpicked members including second lady Usha Vance, Allison Lutnick, the wife of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Susie Wiles, the president's chief of staff.
The board meeting came days after Trump announced via Truth Social that Richard Grenell, a close foreign policy adviser, was exiting his role leading the arts venue, which was renamed the Trump Kennedy Center last year by the board.
In the same post, Trump named Matt Floca, the building’s vice president for facilities and operations, as its next CEO, crediting him with helping achieve "tremendous progress" on the revamp of the center currently underway. The board also voted to confirm Floca.
Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio - one of more than 20 ex-officio members who does not have voting rights on the board - filed a lawsuit that included a request that she be allowed to take part in Monday’s board meeting at the White House.
