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Kennedy Center Board finished and no DEI hires [1]

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Date: 2025-03-08

I didn't think things could get any worse for the Kennedy Center, after Donald Trump took over as Chairman of the Board, and all the intelligent people left, or fired, if that was actually legally possible.

Then artists started saying that they didn't want to be associated with the Kennedy Center anymore. Then even "Hamilton" canceled an eight week run at the Center.

When it can't get any worse, it does. Trump has announced that Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo are joining the board of the Kennedy Center.

I can't think of any two ladies who would be more unqualified and would be assured to deliver lowbrow entertainment. We get Fox hosts in the cabinet, why not control the arts as well?

"This completes our selection."

Who else were chosen?

Here's the list:

Susan Wiles: Trump's Chief of Staff.

Allison Lutnick: Wife of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Lynda Lomangino: Wife of Anthony Lomangino, described as the "trash kingpin" of Palm Beach. Waste management. Also a member of Mar-a-Lago.

Dan Scavino: Trump's Deputy Chief of Staff.

Mindy Levine: Wife of New York Yankees president Randy Levine.

Pamala Gross: Former producer of CNN Tonight with Don Lemon. Also an old friend of Melania Trump. Married to Jeremy Finklestein, former publisher of The Hill.

Usha Vance: Wife of JD Vance. Clerked for Kavanaugh and Roberts.

John Falconetti: Chairman and CEO of Drummond Press, a commercial printing company in Jacksonville, FL.

Cheri Summerall: Stepmother of Susie Wiles.

Sergio Gor: Ran Right for America super pac, and president and founder of Winning Team Publishing, the publisher of Trump's books.

Emilia May Fanjul: Wife of Jose Fanjul, a Cuban sugar and real estate mogul. They gets lots of subsidies for the sugar business.

Dana Blumberg: Wife of Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots.

Patricia Duncan: She donated $5 million to Trump's 2024 campaign.

Lee Greenwood: Yup, the singer-songwriter of "God Bless The U.S.A." Trump's anthem and part of Trump's Chinese made Bible.

Brian D. Ballard: Founded Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm. Chair of the Florida Finance Committee for Republican presidential nominees, 2008, 2012 and 2016.

Pamala Bondi: U.S. Attorney General. Need I say more?

Mary Helen Bowers: Ballerina married to an architect of Project 2025.

Hanna F. Buchan: Palm Beach real estate agent and married to Duke Buchan, Current finance chair of the Republican National Committee.

Elaine Chao: Sen. Mitch McConnell Wife.

Douglas Manchester: Rich guy. Financed 2008 California constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Gave $1 million to Trump's 2016 inauguration.

Andrea Wynn: Wife of casino developer Steve Wynn.

It's all in the family for Trump's friends, neighbors, business associates, campaign donors and a trash collector. Oh, and two Fox hosts.

It should be noted that Trump didn't appoint a single Black person to the Board and the only minority representation is Elaine Chao and Usha Vance. Everybody else is white people.

There is one other exception. Michelle Obama. Every First Lady is automatically an Honorary Chair. So, there's also Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and Dr. Jill Biden and Melania Trump.

Trump has never been to the Kennedy Center for any performance.

According to TIME Magazine, when the Kennedy Center opened in 1971, the performance was the premier of Leonard Bernstein's "Mass," commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy. Richard Nixon had Bernstein's 800-page FBI file that detailed Bernstein's anti Vietnam War activism. That was enough for Nixon to find something else to do for the evening, according to TIME Magazine. One problem with the TIME Magazine report is that while it is completely believable, the Kennedy Center archives say that Richard Nixon was there, and there's a picture in White House archives that show him in a box at the opening of the Kennedy Center.

But let's talk about Donald Trump. He found a way to miss the annual Kennedy Center Honors every year he was in office the first time. In his first year in office, 3 honorees threatened to skip the honors if Trump was there. He kept that up for the next 3 years as well.

The first thing Trump did this time was to eliminate every board member that President Biden had installed.

The next four years may only include honorees that feel comfortable shaking the hand of Donald Trump. Recent winners like Oprah Winfrey or George Clooney would never share the stage with him.

The other award given at the Kennedy Center is the Mark Twain Prize. This year, it's going to Conan O'Brien. This takes place on March 23rd coming up. If he knows that Trump is going to be there, would he bail? You have to ask this about the award winner this year and the three years following as well. George Carlin isn't around now, but he got it in 2008. He would have spit on Trump rather than breathe the same air with him. I can't think of any right-wing comedians. It's sort of like the two don't go together. They don't have a sense of humor. They always have a sense of cruelty. That's not funny to me.

The whole meaning of the Kennedy Center was an idea President Kennedy had in 1961. It was to be a free and creative celebration of the arts. A decade later, it became a reality.

Donald Trump doesn't understand freedom of expression or what qualifies as creative. He has tunnel vision where the only music is YMCA by the Village People. It's time to go after those DEI hire artists. They can't be successful because people appreciate their work. No, they must be paying those 20,000 concert goers under the table to appear popular.

Everything Trump touches, withers, and dies. I wish that the Kennedy Center is spared becoming another victim.

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