WASHINGTON — The head of the Kennedy Center sent a scathing letter this week to the musician who canceled a Christmas Eve concert at the performing arts venue after President Donald Trump’s name was added to the building’s exterior.
Richard Grenell, a special envoy during Trump’s first term, blasted Chuck Redd, who has presided over the annual “Jazz Jam” since 2006, for citing the name change as his reason for canceling the event. In the letter, Grenell said the Kennedy Center will seek $1 million in damages for what he called a “political stunt.”
“Your decision to withdraw at the last moment — explicitly in response to the Center’s recent renaming, which honors President Trump’s extraordinary efforts to save this national treasure — is classic intolerance and very costly to a non-profit Arts institution,” the letter read.
Reached by phone Friday, Grenell did not confirm the contents of the letter and instead referred NBC News to the Kennedy Center.
“Any artist cancelling their show at the Trump Kennedy Center over political differences isn’t courageous or principled — they are selfish, intolerant, and have failed to meet the basic duty of a public artist: to perform for all people,” Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, said in a statement. “Art is a shared cultural experience meant to unite, not exclude. The Trump Kennedy Center is a true bipartisan institution that welcomes artists and patrons from all backgrounds — great art transcends politics, and America’s cultural center remains committed to presenting popular programming that inspires and resonates with all audiences.”
Redd did not respond to a request for comment.
The Associated Press first reported Grenell’s letter to Redd.
Trump’s name was added to the Kennedy Center’s facade a day after the board voted to change its name. That addition could be one of many changes to the building. On Friday, the president posted images of “potential marble armrests” for the center.
The Kennedy Center’s board, which Trump handpicked after firing its previous members, voted this month to rename the center to include the president’s name. The move prompted swift backlash from lawmakers and members of the Kennedy family, who say that the center, established by law to memorialize President John F. Kennedy, cannot be renamed without an act of Congress.
Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio on Monday sued the Trump administration over the name change, calling it a “flagrant violation of the rule of law.” Beatty, an ex officio member of the board, said that she was prevented from participating virtually at the board meeting where they voted to rename the center.
Earlier this month, Trump’s name was added to the headquarters of the U.S. Institute of Peace — an agency his administration essentially dismantled — and this week the president announced new “Trump-class battleships.”
