LEAKED: Trump Culture: The Rat King

The Kennedy Center stands as America's cultural beacon—a living memorial to a slain president, a temple to artistic excellence, and a national stage where our most transcendent creative voices find amplification. Or at least it fucking did until Donald Trump decided to plant his flag in yet another American institution and claim it for his ego-driven empire.

In a move that should shock absolutely no one who's been conscious for the past decade, Trump has installed himself as the chairman of the Kennedy Center and is now reshaping it in his own garish image. This isn't just another headline in the endless Trump news cycle—it's a frontal assault on American culture itself, a hostile takeover of one of our most prestigious artistic institutions by a man whose cultural taste begins and ends with gold-plated bathroom fixtures.

The Board Massacre: Out With the Arts, In With the Loyalists

Let's start with how this cultural catastrophe began. In February, Trump didn't just appoint himself chairman—he conducted a wholesale purge of the existing board members, the kinds of people who typically might know something about, oh I don't know, the actual performing arts. In their place? A cadre of loyalists whose primary qualification appears to be their unwavering devotion to Trump himself.

This wasn't a changing of the guard; it was a decapitation. The Kennedy Center board has traditionally been comprised of arts patrons, cultural leaders, and individuals with demonstrated commitment to America's artistic heritage. Now it's essentially Trump's newest country club, populated by people who might not know Tchaikovsky from Ted Nugent but can recite "Stop the Steal" talking points on command.

The message couldn't be clearer: merit, expertise, and institutional knowledge mean jack shit in Trump's America. Loyalty is the only currency that matters.

"The King of Ratings" Crowns Himself

During his first board meeting as self-appointed chairman, Trump wasted no time in revealing his grand vision for America's premier performing arts center. And holy shit, what a vision it is.

"I should host the Kennedy Center Honors," Trump reportedly announced. "I'm the king of ratings."

Let that sink in for a moment. The Kennedy Center Honors—one of America's most prestigious cultural celebrations, traditionally hosted by entertainers with actual talent and reverence for the arts—might soon be emceed by a man whose primary cultural contribution has been yelling "You're fired!" at D-list celebrities.

This isn't just narcissism; it's cultural vandalism. The Kennedy Center Honors has never been about the host—it's about celebrating artistic excellence and lifetime achievement. But in Trump's worldview, everything, absolutely everything, must ultimately be about him. The honorees, the performances, the tradition itself—all would become mere backdrop for The Donald Show.

The New Honorees: From Arts to MAGA

Perhaps most disturbing is Trump's plan to fundamentally alter who receives recognition from the Kennedy Center. Since its inception, the Honors have celebrated excellence in the performing arts—dance, music, theater, opera, film, and television. These fields represent the pinnacle of human creative expression, requiring decades of discipline, talent, and artistic contribution.

But that's too elitist for Trump. He wants to expand the honorees to include figures from sports, politics, and business—essentially diluting the artistic focus of the awards until they become yet another generic hall of fame for famous people Trump happens to like.

His suggested honorees tell the whole goddamn story: Casino mogul Steve Wynn (because nothing says "artistic excellence" like designing slot machines to psychologically trap gamblers), Elvis Presley (who's been dead for nearly 50 years), and Babe Ruth (who's been dead for over 70 years and played fucking baseball).

Look, I love the Bambino as much as the next American, but honoring a baseball player at the Kennedy Center makes about as much sense as giving a Grammy to your plumber because he whistles while he unclogs your toilet.

This isn't to say sports and business figures don't deserve recognition—they absolutely do, in their respective fields. But the Kennedy Center Honors exist specifically to celebrate artistic achievement. Trump's desire to broaden the criteria reveals his fundamental contempt for the arts as a distinct domain of human excellence worthy of its own recognition.

Broadway Lite: The Trump Theater Vision

When Trump starts talking about his artistic preferences, that's when things get truly terrifying. During the board meeting, he expressed interest in featuring musicals like "Cats" and "Phantom of the Opera."

Now, don't get me wrong—Andrew Lloyd Webber has created some entertaining theatrical spectacles. But these selections reveal Trump's pedestrian understanding of theater. "Cats" and "Phantom" are the theatrical equivalent of a McDonald's Happy Meal—mass-produced, familiar, and designed for the broadest possible commercial appeal.

The Kennedy Center has traditionally showcased a diverse range of theatrical works, from challenging contemporary pieces to revered classics, from opera to ballet to symphony. Under Trump's vision, we can look forward to a steady diet of the theatrical equivalent of comfort food—familiar, unchallenging, and preferably with dancing cats.

It's the difference between a fine dining experience and a fast food drive-thru—both have their place, but only one belongs at America's premier cultural institution.

Union Busting: The Anti-Labor Agenda Hits the Arts

Trump's proposal to partially split from Actors' Equity—the labor union representing theatrical performers—reveals the broader anti-worker agenda at play. The performing arts, perhaps more than any other field, depend on unions to protect artists from exploitation. The work is physically demanding, financially precarious, and subject to abusive power dynamics.

By attacking Actors' Equity, Trump isn't just making a business decision—he's undermining the basic economic security of performers. It's the same playbook he's used throughout his business career: maximize profit and control by crushing worker protections. The stage hands, musicians, dancers, and actors who make the Kennedy Center function are apparently just more expendable workers in Trump's eyes.

This move has nothing to do with artistic vision and everything to do with a fundamental contempt for labor rights. The Kennedy Center should be a model employer in the arts world, not a pioneer in undermining performer protections.

Architectural Arrogance: Renovations and Ego Projects

Not content with ransacking the Kennedy Center's artistic programming and governance, Trump has also set his sights on the building itself. He claims the center is in "tremendous disrepair"—a dubious assertion about a meticulously maintained national landmark—and criticized the 2019 expansion as "nonsense."

What's particularly rich is Trump positioning himself as an architectural savior. This is the man whose primary architectural contribution has been slapping his name on buildings in tacky gold letters. His aesthetic sensibility makes Las Vegas casinos look restrained and tasteful by comparison.

His proposal for a band shell on the Potomac River isn't about enhancing the Kennedy Center's artistic mission—it's about creating another monument to himself. One can easily imagine a gaudy structure that would clash horribly with the elegant simplicity of Edward Durell Stone's original design, probably with "TRUMP" emblazoned across it in lights visible from orbit.

The Cultural Casualties of the Culture War

What's happening at the Kennedy Center isn't isolated—it's part of a broader assault on American cultural institutions. From libraries to museums to universities, there's a concerted effort to reframe arts and culture not as universal human treasures but as battlegrounds in an endless culture war.

The accusation that the Kennedy Center has a "woke" culture that needs correction is particularly revealing. What exactly does "woke" mean in this context? That the Center presents diverse artists? That it showcases works that engage with social issues? That it recognizes excellence regardless of the creator's political affiliation?

The term "woke" has become a catch-all pejorative for anything that doesn't affirm a narrow, nostalgic vision of American culture. It's a dog whistle that signals intent to purge institutions of perspectives that challenge traditional power structures.

But art, by its very nature, is supposed to challenge. It's supposed to make us uncomfortable sometimes. It's supposed to present new ways of seeing the world. By attacking "woke" culture, Trump isn't defending artistic tradition—he's attacking the fundamental purpose of art itself.

What's Really at Stake

This hostile takeover isn't just bad news for ballet fans and opera buffs. It represents something far more insidious: the politicization of spaces that should transcend partisan division.

The Kennedy Center was named for a Democratic president but has honored artists across the political spectrum. It has hosted Republican and Democratic presidents alike for its annual celebrations. It has been one of the few American institutions that managed to maintain its integrity as a non-partisan cultural beacon.

Trump's moves threaten to transform it into just another extension of his personal brand and political movement. Every artistic decision will now be scrutinized through a political lens. Will a playwright's work be produced because of its artistic merit, or because they said nice things about Trump on Twitter? Will a musician be honored because of their contribution to their art form, or because they performed at a rally?

The damage this does to American cultural life cannot be overstated. When art becomes merely another front in a political war, we all lose something precious—the ability to be moved, challenged, and transformed by human creativity that speaks to something deeper than our political allegiances.

Where Do We Go From Here?

The cultural community cannot stand by while one of its crown jewels is vandalized. Congress, which provides funding for the Kennedy Center, must exercise oversight. Arts organizations must speak out. Citizens who value culture must make their voices heard.

But the reality is stark: as long as Trump maintains his grip on power, American culture will remain under threat. The Kennedy Center takeover is just a preview of what happens when cultural institutions fall under authoritarian control.

For those who believe that art matters—that it reveals essential truths about the human condition and helps us understand ourselves and each other—this is nothing less than an emergency. The Kennedy Center doesn't belong to Donald Trump. It belongs to the American people and to the universal human impulse toward creative expression.

We're witnessing a cultural crime in progress. The question is whether we have the collective will to stop it.

Citations

1. Kimmins L, 2025 “Leak Reveals Trump’s Full Bonkers Plan for the Kennedy Center” Daily Beast.