Trump’s Kennedy Center Shatters Woke Monopoly, Conservatives Flock Back

Paul Riverbank, 12/11/2025Trump-era leadership redefines Kennedy Center, spurring conservative support, fresh programming, and record donations.

Some attributed the shift to fresh leadership—and they might be onto something. Kari Lake, now at the helm of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, was out front being candid with the press. She didn’t sidestep the elephant in the room. “He’s depoliticizing it,” she said of former President Trump, referencing his new post as chair of the Kennedy Center’s Board. Lake’s tone was more matter-of-fact than celebratory. “You can be the most liberal, leftist Democrat, the most conservative Republican, and you can come and enjoy shows that aren’t pushing a woke agenda,” she told a reporter, even as a jazz combo tuned up inside.

The bar for “change” at Washington’s most storied arts venue has always been high. Yet, something genuinely measurable is happening: the numbers. Those who keep tabs on fundraising were startled by the spike—donations soared to $23 million, a leap up from last year’s $13.7 million. Lake made no secret of what she saw as the cause. Apparently, a good portion of that support, she claims, comes from entirely new pockets—donors who previously ignored the Center and the well-heeled events inside.

Meanwhile, the programming is catching on. A recent play about the October 7 attacks in Israel, staged by Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney—both no strangers to controversy—caught some regular attendees off-guard. McAleer, never one to mince words, declared in the lobby, “The barbarians are truly inside the gates.” It wasn’t criticism so much as a declaration that the old barriers were falling. “It’s a shame that the Kennedy Center, supposed to be bipartisan, had been so chilly to conservative and free-thinking voices. Now, interesting times.”

The heart of these developments seems to lie with Richard Grenell, Trump’s appointee as CEO. He’s leaned into the idea that the Center must feature a real mix of voices, not just safe bets. At a recent memorial event, Grenell led with a pointed remembrance: “We remember the innocent concertgoers who were violently murdered by Hamas. And we remember the families still waiting for loved ones’ return.” That thread—public memory and politics woven into cultural events—now sits closer to the surface than perhaps ever before.

Lake had other things on her mind as well. Standing near the marble stairs, she gestured at the lobby’s archways, hinting that the Kennedy Center hadn’t just suffered from creative neglect. “It was a jewel, but it was falling apart. The money was being misspent, maybe even at a criminal level,” she suggested, her tone grave. By her telling, the new leadership is, at minimum, bringing stability—and probably more scrutiny—to the Center’s finances. The boardroom, not just the box office, seems in transition.

Not everyone’s convinced this is a “neutral” refit. Spend any time in the Capitol’s cafes, and you’ll hear grumbling about whether what’s replacing the old tone is actually neutrality or just a pendulum swing in the opposite direction. But those steering the ship insist openness is the only agenda.

Lake, for her part, isn’t chasing applause. She summed it up without much polish: “You’re welcome, whoever you are. Democrat? Republican? Honestly, I don’t care. If you love America, I love you.” A bit of Washingtonian hyperbole, if you like, but it landed well enough in a room that’s grown used to sharper divides.

Most nights now, audiences are streaming in, seemingly regardless of where they sit on the cultural chessboard. The bigger question—what kind of conversation this reborn Kennedy Center will spark about art and ideology—probably won’t be answered soon. But by the sound of the shoes echoing on the lobby’s old tiles, people are ready to find out.

It was a brisk evening downtown, the kind that encourages overcoats and quick steps into warm lobbies. The Kennedy Center, Washington’s familiar temple to the arts, had a buzz around it—a slightly different energy some regulars couldn’t quite place. At the recent Honors gala, one of those black-tie affairs where the city’s old and new guard brush shoulders, the formalities carried a curious undertone. A handful of guests glanced up at the banners, noticing maybe for the first time that things felt… altered.Some attributed the shift to fresh leadership—and they might be onto something. Kari Lake, now at the helm of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, was out front being candid with the press. She didn’t sidestep the elephant in the room. “He’s depoliticizing it,” she said of former President Trump, referencing his new post as chair of the Kennedy Center’s Board. Lake’s tone was more matter-of-fact than celebratory. “You can be the most liberal, leftist Democrat, the most conservative Republican, and you can come and enjoy shows that aren’t pushing a woke agenda,” she told a reporter, even as a jazz combo tuned up inside.The bar for “change” at Washington’s most storied arts venue has always been high. Yet, something genuinely measurable is happening: the numbers. Those who keep tabs on fundraising were startled by the spike—donations soared to $23 million, a leap up from last year’s $13.7 million. Lake made no secret of what she saw as the cause. Apparently, a good portion of that support, she claims, comes from entirely new pockets—donors who previously ignored the Center and the well-heeled events inside.Meanwhile, the programming is catching on. A recent play about the October 7 attacks in Israel, staged by Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney—both no strangers to controversy—caught some regular attendees off-guard. McAleer, never one to mince words, declared in the lobby, “The barbarians are truly inside the gates.” It wasn’t criticism so much as a declaration that the old barriers were falling. “It’s a shame that the Kennedy Center, supposed to be bipartisan, had been so chilly to conservative and free-thinking voices. Now, interesting times.”The heart of these developments seems to lie with Richard Grenell, Trump’s appointee as CEO. He’s leaned into the idea that the Center must feature a real mix of voices, not just safe bets. At a recent memorial event, Grenell led with a pointed remembrance: “We remember the innocent concertgoers who were violently murdered by Hamas. And we remember the families still waiting for loved ones’ return.” That thread—public memory and politics woven into cultural events—now sits closer to the surface than perhaps ever before.Lake had other things on her mind as well. Standing near the marble stairs, she gestured at the lobby’s archways, hinting that the Kennedy Center hadn’t just suffered from creative neglect. “It was a jewel, but it was falling apart. The money was being misspent, maybe even at a criminal level,” she suggested, her tone grave. By her telling, the new leadership is, at minimum, bringing stability—and probably more scrutiny—to the Center’s finances. The boardroom, not just the box office, seems in transition.Not everyone’s convinced this is a “neutral” refit. Spend any time in the Capitol’s cafes, and you’ll hear grumbling about whether what’s replacing the old tone is actually neutrality or just a pendulum swing in the opposite direction. But those steering the ship insist openness is the only agenda.Lake, for her part, isn’t chasing applause. She summed it up without much polish: “You’re welcome, whoever you are. Democrat? Republican? Honestly, I don’t care. If you love America, I love you.” A bit of Washingtonian hyperbole, if you like, but it landed well enough in a room that’s grown used to sharper divides.Most nights now, audiences are streaming in, seemingly regardless of where they sit on the cultural chessboard. The bigger question—what kind of conversation this reborn Kennedy Center will spark about art and ideology—probably won’t be answered soon. But by the sound of the shoes echoing on the lobby’s old tiles, people are ready to find out.