Trump pledges Kennedy Center overhaul, says it’s in disrepair
After JD Vance was booed at a concert, Trump toured the Kennedy Center, saying it is in ‘disrepair’ and promising to overhaul the cultural center.
Amid an overhaul at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a musician is calling out the interim president for an “unprofessional and rude” email exchange.
Guitarist and composer Yasmin Williams took to Instagram Wednesday to share a thread between her and Richard Grenell, the temporary head of the cultural institution. In a series of screenshots, Williams showed an increasingly hostile exchange between her and Grenell after she asked several questions about changes to the programming under President Donald Trump.
USA TODAY has reached out to reps for Williams and the Kennedy Center for comment.
“I hope posting this email thread illuminates the terrible folks who are now leading the Kennedy Center,” Williams wrote in a caption alongside the photos. “I’ve had so many amazing career and life highlights at the Kennedy Center and I hate to think that the establishment could be run down permanently by this man.”
After Williams asked whether President Trump cared that certain artists had decided to cancel shows at the Kennedy Center after he announced the overhaul and if the institution had implemented any changes related to hiring and booking, Grenell responded by asking her if she would play for an audience that included Republicans or boycott.
When Williams wrote back that boycotting a performance because Republicans might be in her audience made no sense, Grenell, who was the ambassador to Germany during Trump’s first term, retorted that “Every single person who canceled a show did so because they couldn’t be in the presence of Republicans.”
“You shouldn’t believe what you read in the newspapers who exist to hate Republicans,” Grenell continued. “Don’t swallow what the media tells you. Don’t be gullible.”
In February, Trump announced a massive overhaul at the Kennedy Center that included the termination of multiple board of trustees members, including Chairman David Rubenstein. He also replaced longtime president Deborah Rutter with Grenell.
The reason for the changes, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, was the center’s decision to host drag show performances at its venue.
In response to all the upheaval, multiple stars and artists cut ties with the center, with several high-profile board members stepping down and others canceling future performances. An interview with Issa Rae and several performances of the Broadway hit “Hamilton” were among the events canceled.
In the email exchange, Grenell also went on to reference an instance in which Vice President JD Vance was booed during a Kennedy Center performance following the changes, calling the shouters “your people” and asking Williams, “Who is the intolerant one?”
Then, in a paragraphs long screed, he enumerated several serious money problems the Kennedy Center was facing and confirmed that he had fired some high-earning staff and cut DEI programs “because we are in debt.”
“Yes I cut the DEI (expletive) because we can’t afford to pay people for fringe and niche programming that the public won’t support,” he wrote. “YOU reached out to me unsolicited and accused me of being intolerant. Don’t be a victim now.”
In response, Williams asked for Grenell to re-read her original email, stating that she had never called him intolerant and chided him for his “unprofessional,” “rude,” and “defensive” response.
“HUGE shout out to the employees, members of the (National Symphony Orchestra), and everyone else who has to deal with such terrible leadership and have their work environment be so chaotic and upsetting,” she continued in her caption.
Contributing: Savannah Kuchar
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