President Donald Trump tasked Ric Grenell, the interim executive director of the Kennedy Center, to restore the national cultural center of the United States to its former glory.
Opened in 1971, the center was named in 1964 as a memorial to assassinated President John F. Kennedy. It often hosted woke events during the Biden administration. Situated on the eastern bank of the Potomac River down the road from Georgetown, its exterior was also lit in a rainbow color light display.
“Ric shares my Vision for a GOLDEN AGE of American Arts and Culture, and will be overseeing the daily operations of the Center,” Trump posted on social media. “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA — ONLY THE BEST. RIC, WELCOME TO SHOW BUSINESS!”
The Kennedy Center has a $240 million dollar budget, yet has zero cash on hand, the source told Breitbart News.
Annual federal appropriations account for 16 percent of the Kennedy Center’s annual operating budget, according to the center. The majority of its financial support comes from ticket sales, donations, rental income, and other revenue sources.
“I was briefed today by the CFO of the Kennedy Center on its financial situation,” Grenell posted on X. “She told me there is ZERO cash on hand. And ZERO in reserves. And the deferred maintenance is a crisis.”
“For the past months they’ve been digging into the DEBT RESERVES,” he added. “We must fix this great institution. The people working hard at the Nation’s premier performing arts center deserve better – and so do all Americans.”
Grenell has already made changes to the budget. He fired several highly paid executives and slashed the payroll by $2.4 million, the source added.
The fired executives include the Center’s former president and general counsel.
He will apparently hire new staff with salaries six figures lower than the salaries of those previously in the executive roles.
New members of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees were also announced.
Those include President Donald Trump, Susie Wiles, Dan Scavino, Allison Lutnick, Lynda Lomangino, Mindy Levine, Usha Vance, Pamela Gross, John Falconetti, Cheri Summerall, Sergio Gor, Emilia May Fanjul, Patricia Duggan, and Dana Blumberg.
Wendell Husebo is a political reporter with Breitbart News and a former RNC War Room Analyst. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality. Follow Wendell on “X” @WendellHusebø or on Truth Social @WendellHusebo.
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