What Trump's Kennedy Center line-up could look like
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President Trump's moves to take over the Kennedy Center open all sorts of guessing about what's next — including future shows and ceremonies.
Why it matters: Trump is interested in influencing programming at one of the country's preeminent cultural institutions.
The big picture: The Kennedy Center didn't respond to Axios' request for comment regarding whether Trump would have oversight of the programming, but the president has hinted on Truth Social that he would have a hand in the center's line-up, and said he would specifically end drag performances.
- "For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!," reads one post.
Which begs the question: What could a Trump KenCen calendar look like?
- Trump's cultural proclivities have often veered toward the classics, much like his taste for architecture — he's praised movies like "Gone With the Wind," "Citizen Kane," "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," and "The Godfather." And he's a fan of golden oldies tunes, with repeat faves like Elvis' "Suspicious Minds."
- He's also apparently a big Andrew Lloyd Webber guy, and has favored songs from the musicals "Cats" and "Phantom of the Opera."
So it's possible we could see a Trump-as-chairman line-up filled with musicals and old-school fan faves — and perhaps slim on some of the Kennedy Center's more progressive programming.
- The center is currently slated to hold events in June for World Pride.
Context: This isn't the first time Trump and the KenCen have tangoed — he was the first president to skip all four years of the Kennedy Center Honors, a tradition he started his first year in office after some honorees turned down meeting him at a White House reception.
The intrigue: Trump's oversight could be a departure from the center's long-time commitment to diverse programming and a bipartisan board nominated by varying administrations.
- Some of the recent board members removed from the board roster on the Kennedy Center website include Biden players like former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, while Trump loyalists like Attorney General Pam Bondi are listed.
What they're saying: "This is about who gets to exist in public spaces and whose stories get to be told on America's stage," Blaq Dinamyte, president of the drag artist and allies network Qommittee, told the AP.
- "Banning an entire art form is censorship, plain and simple. Americans don't have to agree on everything, but we should be able to speak our minds and perform our art without bans, retaliation, or intimidation."