Richard Grenell, the Trump ally installed to lead the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will step down after just over a year at the helm of the cultural institution — ending a turbulent tenure marked by staff departures, artist cancellations and plummeting ticket sales.
President Donald Trump on Friday confirmed the leadership change in a Truth Social post, announcing that Matt Floca, the center’s vice president of facilities operations, will succeed Grenell.
“Ric Grenell has done an excellent job in helping to coordinate various elements of the Center during the transition period, and I want to thank him for the outstanding work he has done,” Trump wrote.
The Kennedy Center did not provide additional comment about Grenell’s departure.
Grenell, a former ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence, was selected by Trump to lead the Kennedy Center as part of the president’s sweeping leadership overhaul that followed his return to office.
In February, Trump fired the board of the Kennedy Center and installed himself as chairman, setting the stage for Grenell’s arrival and a new politically charged direction for an institution that was founded on bipartisan stewardship.
Grenell’s leadership at the Kennedy Center quickly drew scrutiny from artists, patrons and former employees who expressed concerns that the center had become an extension of MAGA politics.
During his tenure at the center, ticket sales plummeted for the center’s largest performance venues; Senate Democrats launched an investigation into its spending practices and booking deals with political allies; and the board voted to add Trump’s name to the building — prompting dozens of artist cancellations.
Grenell has long defended his management, arguing that the center needed structural and operational changes, claiming that it raised $117 million and accusing previous leadership of hemorrhaging money.
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