Ousted Kennedy Center president says artists must feel "welcome and safe"
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President Donald Trump is now chairman of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Prior to taking the helm, he told reporters he was doing it because Kennedy Center shows were, quote, terrible and a disgrace. He also admits that he has never been to a show at the Kennedy Center.

I'm going to be chairman of it, and we're going to make sure that it's good and it's not going to be woke. True to his word, he ousted 18 members of the Kennedy Center board, replaced them with his own supporters. On Wednesday, the new board elected Trump chairman. So we took over the Kennedy Center. We didn't like what they were showing and various other things.

There is no precedent for this move. Most presidents have been hands-off with the Cultural Center since it opened in 1971. That includes President Trump himself during his first term. Now he seems all-in, posting on Truth Social that, at his direction, quote, we're going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. great again.

Already, artists affiliated with the center have departed, and performers are canceling shows. Writer, director, and actor Issa Rae canceled her upcoming sold-out show at the center, citing an infringement on the values of the institution.

Consider this. The Kennedy Center hosts more than 2,000 performances that play to 2 million patrons every year. How will President Trump's new role as chairman shape a prominent American symbol of culture? From NPR, I'm Mary Louise Kelly.

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It's Consider This from NPR. For a decade, Deborah Rutter served as president of the Kennedy Center. This week, she was ousted from that position. In her first interview since, she came to our studios to talk about the abrupt end to her tenure. Deborah Rutter, welcome. Thank you so much. How abrupt was it? How did you find out all this was afoot?

I was actually in the basement of the Kennedy Center with my executive assistant, and I got a phone call from a member of the board. And what was the phone call? What did they tell you, and what went through your mind? It was very short and direct. It was from somebody I'd worked with for many, many years. Did you have any idea this was coming?

Well, I wasn't surprised. There had been communication saying that an interim executive director would be coming in to meet with me and to work alongside me. I read between the lines a little bit. The Kennedy Center is prestigious. It's very well known. It is also one institution.

Inside the Beltway in Washington, D.C., why should the rest of the country, the rest of the world care about who's in charge? So the Kennedy Center is, by congressional mandate, the National Cultural Center. And we have a mandate from 1958 that calls for it to be the National Performing Arts Center and the National Advocate for Arts Education Center.

In 1964, they added the Living Memorial to John F. Kennedy. So this is more than just the local performing arts center. It represents America to the world, and it invites the world to our nation's capital to be a showcase for all of the arts. To your knowledge, can President Trump do this? Is there any law, any statute that would prevent him from ousting the board, ousting you?

The statute establishes that a 36-member board and a 21-member ex officio board guide the operations of the Kennedy Center and those three peers of our mission.

Those 36 are appointed by the President of the United States to serve for a six-year term. It is silent on whether or not the President can remove them, and it is absolutely clear in our bylaws that the board elects the chairman of the board.

So it is unprecedented for the Kennedy Center to have the president of the United States as a member of the board. And it is, therefore, unprecedented that the board would elect that individual to be chair of the board. Unprecedented, not necessarily illegal or... I can't speak to that, but that is what the statute and our bylaws call for. I mean, just to cut to the chase, it's been, what, two days since you were ousted. How are you thinking about things?

I'm really, really, really sad about what happens to our artists, what happens on our stages, and our staff who support them. The Kennedy Center is meant to be a beacon for the arts in all of America, across the country.

And we have worked so hard and accomplished so much over this last decade to really broaden the programming, to invite all manner of arts and artists to our stages. And we've expanded our audience as a result. I pray that that can be sustained. But that's my biggest concern. Yeah, you used the word sad just now. Why sad? What is it that...

Just giving you pause. So people who choose to make their career in the arts do so because they care so deeply about what it represents. Artists are holding a mirror up.

to the society. They tell the stories of who we are. When you have really smart people, they often want to go into another business that might make them more money or more prestige, whatever that might be. These are people who are so dedicated to the mission and to really the desire to tell the stories of who we are as Americans. So this is mission-driven work. And when you are deeply committed to the mission, that's where you have these emotions.

Renee Fleming, the famous soprano, has announced she is stepping down as artistic advisor. Yesterday, I saw the actor and director Issa Rae says she is canceling what was supposed to be a sold out show at the Kennedy Center next month. What is your advice to artists going forward? Should they come to the Kennedy Center? Should they perform?

If they have the invitation and they know that the environment is safe for them to express their ideas and their art, absolutely. Our National Cultural Center needs and deserves to be the platform for artists of all sorts. But they have to feel welcome and safe.

That prompts me to ask about a comment that President Trump made. As you know, he criticized the Kennedy Center for being woke. He has also said, and I'm quoting, no more drag shows or other anti-American propaganda, only the best. Deborah Rutter, how do you understand those words? How do you react? I am a professional arts attendee. I am a believer in the work of the artist and

I am not a propagandist. I am not a politician. Art speaks for itself. Art sometimes doesn't make you feel comfortable, but it is telling the story of who we are. And all artists, as all Americans, have the freedom of expression. I will tell you that we have many, many more people coming to performances today because they see themselves welcome at the Kennedy Center.

And that is my concern. How will we be able to sustain what we've done to really throw open the doors and make sure that the Kennedy Center is not just welcoming everybody, but seeing themselves and hearing their stories on our stages? Oh, I used our.

I guess it is still our stage. The Kennedy Center still is my cultural center as well. Deborah Rutter, thank you. Thank you. She was president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for a decade. This is her first interview after being fired this week.

This episode was produced by Elena Burnett and Mia Vincat. It was edited by Ashley Brown, Jeanette Woods, and Nadia Lancey. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan. And I want to say thank you to our Consider This Plus listeners who support the work of NPR journalists and help keep public radio strong. Supporters also hear every episode without messages from sponsors. You can learn more at plus.npr.org. ♪

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