On Friday morning, Richard Grenell, an ally of President Donald Trump made interim president of the Kennedy Center by Trump’s new board of trustees, sent an email to the center’s staff, reviewed by The Washington Post, stating that he “received several messages from Kennedy Center staffers sharing their embarrassment over more than a few Symphony patrons loudly booing the Vice President and his wife last night.”
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Vice President JD Vance was booed while attending a National Symphony Orchestra concert at The Kennedy Center on March 13. (Video: michael brodeur/The Washington Post)
“As the premier Arts organization in the United States of America, we must work to make the Kennedy Center a place where everyone is welcomed,” Grenell wrote. “We clearly have work to do. And I hear your outrage.”
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He cited the center’s diversity as a strength. “As President, I take diversity and inclusion very seriously,” he wrote. “I have met with many of you, and I love that we are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, agnostic, gay, straight, black, white, Hispanic and absolutely different.”
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“Intolerance towards people who are politically different is just as unacceptable as intolerance in other areas,” he added. “Everyone is welcome at the Kennedy Center.”
Several staffers, speaking on the condition of anonymity out of fear for retribution, told The Post that they were confused by the email, particularly its defense of diversity and inclusion, a principle the Trump administration has assailed in public statements and executive actions.
Trump has been trying to overhaul the institution, appointing a board of trustees that elected him as chair, setting the arts community on edge. Usha Vance, one of Trump’s board members, previously served on the board of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
0:34
Vice President JD Vance was booed while attending a National Symphony Orchestra concert at The Kennedy Center on March 13. (Video: michael brodeur/The Washington Post)
“As the premier Arts organization in the United States of America, we must work to make the Kennedy Center a place where everyone is welcomed,” Grenell wrote. “We clearly have work to do. And I hear your outrage.”
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Advertisement
He cited the center’s diversity as a strength. “As President, I take diversity and inclusion very seriously,” he wrote. “I have met with many of you, and I love that we are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, agnostic, gay, straight, black, white, Hispanic and absolutely different.”
🎶
Follow Music
“Intolerance towards people who are politically different is just as unacceptable as intolerance in other areas,” he added. “Everyone is welcome at the Kennedy Center.”
Several staffers, speaking on the condition of anonymity out of fear for retribution, told The Post that they were confused by the email, particularly its defense of diversity and inclusion, a principle the Trump administration has assailed in public statements and executive actions.
Trump has been trying to overhaul the institution, appointing a board of trustees that elected him as chair, setting the arts community on edge. Usha Vance, one of Trump’s board members, previously served on the board of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
