Trump Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell is stepping down from his position after overseeing the institution’s controversial makeover in President Donald Trump’s image.
Trump announced on Friday that Grenell would be succeeded by Matt Floca, the Trump Kennedy Center’s vice president of facilities operations. A person familiar with the decision confirmed Trump and Grenell are expected to attend Monday’s White House meeting for the Trump Kennedy Center Board of Directors.
“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,” the president posted on Truth Social.
Grenell is the second Trump appointee in roughly one week to be removed from leadership. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was fired by Trump last Thursday after facing intense congressional scrutiny, including over her approval of a costly ad campaign prominently featuring herself.
Before assuming the leadership role at the Kennedy Center, Grenell was a longtime foreign policy adviser to Trump and his “special missions” envoy. Grenell’s departure comes after he led Trump’s agenda to revamp the center, plans that included renaming the institution after the president and temporarily closing it for an extensive renovation.
At the beginning of February, the president announced that the center would close for about two years for renovations, costing at least $200 million.
“I have determined that the fastest way to bring The Trump Kennedy Center to the highest level of Success, Beauty, and Grandeur, is to cease Entertainment Operations for an approximately two-year period of time,” he posted on Truth Social last month. “Therefore, the Trump Kennedy Center will close on July 4th, 2026, in honor of the 250th Anniversary of our Country, whereupon we will simultaneously begin Construction of the new and spectacular Entertainment Complex.”
On Friday, Trump promised that the “TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER will be, at its completion, the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the World!”
The changes have provoked criticism from Democrats, who have accused the president of trying to weaponize the arts for political purposes. Trump has said the same of his critics, saying the Kennedy Center was overrun by the Left, who politicized the arts.
The center has lost prominent supporters, including the executive director of its National Symphony Orchestra, Jean Davidson, who announced her departure last week. Meanwhile, Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) filed a court motion seeking to block the planned closure and renovation of the recently renamed center.
Kennedy Center officials have defended Trump’s changes as an effort to revitalize the institution.
KENNEDY CENTER HONORS TO ‘GO FORWARD’ EVEN THROUGH RENOVATION CLOSURE
“Art is a shared cultural experience meant to unite, not exclude,” Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations at the Kennedy Center, said in December. “The Trump Kennedy Center is a true bipartisan institution that welcomes artists and patrons from all backgrounds — great art transcends politics, and America’s cultural center remains committed to presenting popular programming that inspires and resonates with all audiences.”
Christian Datoc contributed to this report.
