The "non literal Trump" not doing anything "literally" regarding the Kennedy center.
In February, Trump led an
overhaul of the Kennedy Center's leadership by dismissing the previously-appointed Board of Trustees, along with longtime Kennedy Center chair David Rubenstein. Deborah Rutter, who served as president of the cultural center for over a decade, was also
ousted.
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At a press conference on Wednesday at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, President Trump said he was "very involved" in selecting the group — a departure for the Kennedy Center Honors. Traditionally, the recipients are selected in a months-long, bipartisan undertaking by members of the Kennedy Center board with input from the general public and past honorees.
Under Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" signed into law in July, the Kennedy Center will receive $257 million.
That is six times what it normally gets from Congress annually.
Also, Republican lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee recently approved an additional $32 million for the performing arts center, under the condition that the Opera House would be renamed for Melania Trump, the first lady. Another bill introduced in the House would rename the Kennedy Center after Trump himself.