Trump ally Ric Grenell stepping down as Kennedy Center president

Ric Grenell, former Acting Director of National Intelligence, speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

WASHINGTON — Richard Grenell, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump who oversaw far reaching changes at the Kennedy Center that prompted many artists to abandon the iconic performing arts venue, will step down as the institution’s president.

Trump announced the change in a social media post on Friday after it was first reported by Axios. The president said Matt Floca, who manages the Kennedy Center’s facilities operations, will succeed Grenell. The moves are expected to be finalized at a board meeting scheduled for Monday at the White House, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss plans that are not yet public.

Grenell’s departure comes as the Kennedy Center prepares to close this summer for a two-year renovation.

“Ric Grenell has done an excellent job in helping to coordinate various elements of the Center during the transition period, and I want to thank him for the outstanding work he has done,” Trump said online. “THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER will be, at its completion, the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the World!”

Grenell was a central player in Trump’s push to dramatically overhaul the Kennedy Center following the president’s return to office. After mostly ignoring the centre during his first term, Trump made it a focal point in his war against “woke” culture. He ousted the Kennedy Center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a hand-picked board of trustees who voted to rename the facility the Trump Kennedy Center, a change scholars and lawmakers say must be initiated by Congress.

More recently, Trump’s name was physically added to the building’s iconic facade.

The fallout from the arts community was swift and intense, with prominent musicals, such as “Hamilton,” cancelling performances. Actor Issa Rae and author Louise Penny also withdrew from appearances while consultants such as musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned. Last week, the executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, Jean Davidson, left to head the Los Angeles-based Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

The Kennedy Center was long known as an apolitical space

Perhaps best known for its annual honours program, the Kennedy Center was long one of the few places in Washington where political differences were put aside. Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg — ideological opposites — famously attended the opera together.

But the venue became something of an extension of Trump’s White House during his second term. The president was instrumental in convincing FIFA President Gianni Infantino to hold the World Cup draw there in December. Just a few days later, Trump himself hosted the Kennedy Center honours, the first for a president.

Since then, Trump has addressed House Republicans at the Kennedy Center. The documentary of first lady Melania Trump also premiered there.

Grenell is a longtime Republican foreign policy adviser. During Trump’s first term, he was the U.S. ambassador to Germany and special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations. He also served as acting director of national intelligence and was considered a contender for secretary of state in Trump’s second term, a post that ultimately went to Marco Rubio.

In his position at the Kennedy Center, Grenell emphasized what he called “common sense” programming, aiming to steer the venue toward events that appealed to a broad audience and didn’t lose money. But his moves prompted criticism from many Democrats on Capitol Hill.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, released documents in November showing the Kennedy Center entered into an agreement giving FIFA “exclusive” use of the facility from Nov. 24 through Dec. 12 at no cost, arguing that the venue was at risk of losing millions in potential revenue because of the arrangement.

The Kennedy Center told the AP at the time that it was being paid US$7.4 million to host the draw, including a $2.4 million donation from FIFA, as well as sponsorship opportunities and expenses. In a response to Whitehouse, Grenell said he raised $117 million last year.

But the wave of cancellations proved difficult to sustain. Without mentioning the abandoned performances, Trump said in February he would close the Kennedy Center for two years after this summer’s July Fourth celebrations to repair what he has described as a dilapidated building.

Ahead of the closure, Grenell warned staff about impending cuts that will leave “skeletal teams.”

According to Floca’s LinkedIn page, he joined the Kennedy Center in January 2024, during the Biden administration.

A centre press release from the time describes him as “an experienced facilities management professional with a construction management background and an appreciation for whole building design principles.”

Previous experience for Floca listed on LinkedIn includes a handful of positions with the District of Columbia government, among them associate director of sustainability and energy and director of facilities management. He graduated from Louisiana State University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in construction management.

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Associated Press journalist Hillel Italie in New York contributed to this report.

Steven Sloan, The Associated Press