President Trump announced that Richard Grenell will step down as president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and that Matt Floca will be named chief operating officer and executive director. The personnel change, first reported by Axios, is expected to be formalized at a White House board meeting on Monday. The shift follows Trump's move to install himself as chairman and a controversial December renaming that prompted artist withdrawals and criticism from Democrats and the Kennedy family.
Trump Says Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell Will Step Down; Matt Floca To Become COO
President of the Kennedy Center Richard Grenell poses on the red carpet for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 7, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo
WASHINGTON, March 13 — President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Richard Grenell, who was appointed last year as president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will transition out of his leadership role at the cultural institution.
Matt Floca, the Kennedy Center's vice president of facilities operations, will be named chief operating officer and executive director, Trump said in a social media post that also included a note of thanks to Grenell. The personnel change was first reported by Axios and is expected to be formalized on Monday at a board meeting scheduled to take place at the White House, which Axios said Trump will attend.
Background And Fallout
Last year, Trump installed himself as chairman of the Kennedy Center and appointed allies to its board. In December, the board voted to rename the institution the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly shortened to the Trump Kennedy Center. The move prompted a wave of withdrawals by artists and performing groups who cited concerns about the leadership change.
Democrats have argued the renaming carries no legal weight because the center's official name was set by Congress, and the family of John F. Kennedy issued a statement condemning the change as damaging to the late president's legacy.
Planned Closure And Broader Context
Trump last month announced plans to close the Kennedy Center for two years beginning in July for reconstruction work. Since taking office, he has taken aim at U.S. cultural and historical institutions, saying he wants to remove what he calls "liberal bias" and "anti‑American" ideology.
Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Caitlin Webber.
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