Who owns the Kennedy Center? Trump fires cultural center's board of trustees and appoints himself the chairman

President Trump has announced his plans to fire the Kennedy Center's board of trustees, including the chairman, and appoint himself to the position.

Trump revealed that his reason for doing so was specifically to prevent the cultural center from ever hosting events that featured performers in drag. He will now be replacing billionaire philanthropist, David Rubenstein, who was slated to serve until 2026.

The Kennedy Centre, officially known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, first opened its doors on September 8, 1971. The center, which is renowned for hosting various mediums of art expression like g music, theater, dance, artwork, and performance art, is operated via a public-private partnership.

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Everything we know about the future of the Kennedy Center as Trump vows to oust "multiple individuals"

Trump took to his Truth Social platform to reveal his plans for the country’s national cultural center:

"At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN,” he penned. "I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture. We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!"

He went on, critiquing the center for its choice of performances:

"Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP. 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!"

As reported by The Guardian, a spokesperson for the Kennedy Center issued a statement acknowledging the president's post, but that it had “received no official communications from the White House regarding changes to our board of trustees."

However, they did reveal that some members of the board of trustees had been handed notices of termination from the Trump administration. NPR has reported that a representative for Rubenstein said that he had "no comment" about the situation:

"There is nothing in the Center's statute that would prevent a new administration from replacing board members," read the statement. "However, this would be the first time such action has been taken with the Kennedy Center's board."

The statement also reiterated the "strong support" the center had been given throughout its history:

"From members of Congress and their staffs—Republicans, Democrats, and Independents." The Center has had "a collaborative relationship with every presidential administration," the statement went on, with "a bi-partisan board of trustees that has supported the arts in a non-partisan fashion."

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At the time of writing, it remains unclear exactly which Kennedy Center board members Trump would be ousting.