Kennedy Center staffers have been blindsided by a vague note from the boss of President Trump’s MAGAfied performing arts hub that has left their jobs dangling by a thread.
Ric Grenell, the flunky Trump has put in charge of his Kennedy Center makeover, told its 2,000 staff in an email—seen by The Washington Post—that as part of the center’s two-year closure, jobs will be on the chopping block.
The email, which also heralded a “total renovation of the building beginning in early July,” has rankled the already embattled roster.
“There is no way to read this message as anything other than preparation for mass layoffs and institutional contraction,” one anonymous staffer told The Post.
“The language of ‘renovation’ masks a leadership failure that has driven down ticket sales, donor confidence, and artistic participation. The crisis is self-inflicted.”
Indeed, ticket sales have plunged, and artists have refused to perform en masse since Trump nixed the venue’s board and parachuted himself in as chairman last February. The resulting struggles, some say, are what led to Trump’s abrupt announcement that he is closing the building for two years to renovate it. Notably, insiders told The Swamp that this move even surprised Grenell.
Yet the latest move from Trump’s lieutenant has added to the collective headache for staff, who were also blindsided by the announcement that the venue would be shuttered for two years.
“There is no strategic plan behind this announcement—only a sweeping shutdown framed as progress,” the staffer added. “What’s being presented as a renovation is, in practice, a dismantling.”
“This is all so stupid and cruel,” another staffer told The Post.
In the note to staff, Grenell framed the worrying development as necessary for progress. “During this aggressive construction phase, departments will obviously function on a much smaller scale with some units totally reduced or on hold until we begin preparations to reopen in 2028,” he wrote.
“This period will mean permanent or temporary adjustments for most everyone. We will provide as much clarity and advance notice as possible.”
Officials at the center say they inherited $100 million in debt, and the Trump-induced changes have made it more secure financially.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Wall Street Journal that the president’s “deep involvement” is a joy to behold.
“Isn’t it wonderful to have a President who is so deeply involved in every issue, and every detail, that his Administration works on—from massive trade deals to negotiating legislation with Congress and yes, even the reconstruction of the Kennedy Center,” she said.
Trump has said the overhaul will cost in the region of $200 million, but an analysis by the Journal places the true figure at around $100 million more than that.
The decision to bolt Trump’s name to the front of the iconic venue also ruffled feathers, according to the paper. “Trump Kennedy Center” was the brainchild of Sergio Gor, a Trump confidant and board member at the center. He floated the idea in a meeting where no one initially expressed any pushback. Privately, however, fellow trustees were frustrated, the Journal reported.
They then unanimously voted in favor of the name change.
The White House and the Kennedy Center have been contacted for comment.
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