Trump’s Kennedy Center Clean-Up Disclosed: President Replaces Karine Jean-Pierre With Himself, Ousts Biden Inner Circle, Replaces Jon Batiste With Susie Wiles

President Trump, in his takeover of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts at Washington, is clearing the board of President Biden’s appointees — some of whom are very close to the 46th president — and replacing them with his own loyalists. “One of the greatest trolls of all time,” news commentator, Collin Rugg, quipped on X. The lists released by the White House on Thursday, which specified which Trump loyalists were replacing which Biden loyalists, led to some chuckles across Washington, with some of Mr. Biden’s closest aides and confidantes losing their prestigious board seats.Mr. Trump raised the curtain on his plans to overhaul the arts center last week, announcing in a post on Truth Social that an “amazing” new chairman — none other than the 47th president himself — would be pioneering the effort to make the Kennedy Center “great again.” “Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP,” Mr. Trump declared. “The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation. For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!” Then-White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre attends the 45th Kennedy Center Honors ceremony at The Kennedy Center on December 04, 2022 in Washington, DC. Paul Morigi/Getty ImagesIn the past year, the center has hosted several drag-inspired events, including Broadway Drag Brunch, A Drag Salute to Divas, and Dragtastic Dress-Up. The dress up event, according to its marketing materials, was geared toward “LGBTQ+ youth under 18.” The center, which was dedicated to President Kennedy after his assassination, hosts thousands of performing arts shows and events each year. The organization’s budget last year came out to $268 million, with the center receiving some $43 million in federal aid. Mr. Trump’s revamps began by purging the board of Biden appointees. He personally took the seat occupied by Karine Jean-Pierre, Mr. Biden’s much-lampooned press secretary. He also ousted two figures in Mr. Biden’s innermost circle: Mike Donilon, who has been by Mr. Biden’s side since the 1980s and commanded enormous power in the White House, and Amy Ricchetti, wife of Steve Ricchetti, who served as Mr. Biden’s presidential counselor. A pink slip was handed to a top Democratic political consultant, Stephanie Cutter, who was featured along with other Harris-Walz campaign honchos in the much-mocked “Pod Save America” post mortem interview discussing the campaign’s shortcomings. Mr. Trump ousted award-winning musician Jon Batiste, who appeared to take a subtle swipe at the 47th president while singing the national anthem ahead of Super Bowl LIX by repeating “land of the free” three times. His unusual rendition was interpreted as a jab at Mr. Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Jill Biden’s social secretary, Carlos Elizondo, was given the boot, too. Mr. Trump also fired the center’s longtime president, Deborah Rutter, and replaced her with Richard Grenell, a loyal confidant who served as ambassador to Germany during the first Trump administration. 2024 Kennedy Center honorees jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer Arturo Sandoval, from left, and blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Bonnie Raitt, first lady Jill Biden, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, stand for the Star Spangled Banner during the 47th Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts at Washington, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. AP Photo/Manuel Balce CenetaThe empty seats were replaced with some of Mr. Trump’s closest allies, including Second Lady Usha Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles (who replaced Mr. Batiste), along with her mother, Cheri Summerall, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, who’s long handled Mr. Trump’s use of social media. The 47th president also tapped MAGA megadonor Patricia Duggan and Dana Blumberg, the wife of New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft. The new, MAGA-stacked board voted Mr. Trump in as chairman on Wednesday, cutting short the decade-long tenure of billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein, a confidant of Mr. Biden who was also friendly with Mr. Trump, who was set to chair until 2026. The board’s 36 members traditionally sit for six-year terms and historically represented a balanced split between Democrats and Republicans. It was Mr. Biden, not Mr. Trump, who broke with norms and fired Trump appointees en masse from nonpartisan boards when he became president. Mr. Biden, in 2021, purged all 18 of Mr. Trump’s board appointees to the Air Force Academy, Military Academy, and Naval Academy. The move prompted one of the Naval Academy’s dismissed board members, Sean Spicer, a former Trump press Secretary, to sue Mr. Biden. A federal judge ultimately tossed out the lawsuit, setting the precedent that such board changeovers were within the rights of a sitting president. Now Mr. Biden’s appointees are finding themselves ousted from coveted, prestigious positions.

Trump’s Kennedy Center Clean-Up Disclosed: President Replaces Karine Jean-Pierre With Himself, Ousts Biden Inner Circle, Replaces Jon Batiste With Susie Wiles

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