Trump Floats Hosting Ceremony and Choosing Honorees At First Kennedy Center Meeting

President Donald Trump visited the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Monday, presiding over his first board meeting since becoming chairman.

“I shouldn’t even be here, given what I’m doing,” Trump remarked, noting his busy schedule.

Audio obtained by The Washington Post revealed discussions about expanding the committee responsible for selecting Kennedy Center honorees. Trump criticized past selections as “radical left lunatics.”

“We’ll go slightly more conservative, if you don’t mind, with some of the people,” Trump said. “There are people out there that would not be considered that are much bigger stars than the ones that were being honored…Just get some good people, some people who are worthy,” he added. “Because some of the people that they put on are just, just terrible.”

Trump joked about awarding Elvis Presley posthumously, saying, “Elvis sells better as a dead man.”

Trump, recently installed as chairman after replacing the entire board, hinted he might personally host the ceremony. He expressed dissatisfaction with past selections, stating, “Some people out there are much bigger stars than those honored.” He also floated the notion of having networks bid for the rights to host the ceremony. CBS has aried the event annually since its debut.

Trump also mentioned concerns about the center’s management, claiming the center had misused funds and suggesting the facility was dirty and neglected. Members of Trump’s team described conditions inside the Kennedy Center as filthy, with “rats” and odors “like vomit,” though staff members contested these claims, noting some issues but rejecting the severity described.

Last month, Trump removed the entire previous board, appointing allies including Richard Grenell as interim president and becoming chairman himself. The changes have led to tensions, with artists canceling performances in protest and staff expressing fears about the center’s future.

The backlash against the Trump administration’s takeover of the Kennedy Center continued last week when Vice President J.D. Vance was booed upon his entrance to the center.

The national tour of Hamilton recently canceled its planned Kennedy Center engagement due to Trump’s takeover. The production was previously scheduled to be part of the Kennedy Center’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

BroadwayWorld previously reported that President Trump was elected as the chairman of the board of trustees of the Kennedy Center, with Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter being fired as a part of Trump’s overhaul.

Most recently it was reported that the Trump administration has completed its selection of new board members. Two Fox News personalities, Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo, to were Trump’s final additions to the board of the Kennedy Center.

In addition, Board Treasurer Shonda Rhimes, National Symphony Orchestra Artistic Advisor Ben Folds, and Artistic Advisor-at-Large Renée Fleming resigned from their roles, a tour of children’s musical Finn, which was to be produced by the theatre, has been canceled, and The Kennedy Center has removed the National Symphony Orchestra’s concert “A Peacock Among Pigeons: Celebrating 50 Years of Pride” from its website. Dancers recently protested Trump’s involvement in the instituion, and the changes being made to the programming outside of the Kennedy Center.

The Kennedy Center Honors, traditionally bipartisan, recognize individuals who have significantly contributed to American cultural life through performing arts.