The top lawyer at President Donald Trump’s MAGA-fied Kennedy Center has been accused of trying to get his own amateur cover band a gig there.
Elliot Berke, who serves as general counsel at the Kennedy Center, pushed to book his own cover band, The DePlorables, for a slot at the center’s Speakeasy jazz-style lounge last fall, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke to Politico.
The band—self-described as “the worst band you’ve ever heard”—is an aging dad rock group that leans hard into 1970s glam and punk covers. Formed in 2019 after a one-off charity show, the group has mostly stuck to safe territory: legal conferences, fundraisers, and events like Law Rocks charity. Their sets reportedly feature deep cuts so obscure that, by their own admission, “audiences rarely recognize what they are playing.”
That apparently didn’t stop Berke from eyeing a much bigger stage.
The Kennedy Center’s Speakeasy, which is known for its intimate vibe and curated acts, wasn’t exactly eager to add a niche cover band with internal ties to its lineup. Sources told the outlet that the staffers were the ones who ultimately nixed the idea, citing staff concerns about a potential conflict of interest, along with the fact that The DePlorables were not professional musicians.
A source close to the Kennedy Center told The Daily Beast that Berke was the one to reject the idea, saying, “Berke never tried to book his band to play the Speakeasy. He was asked by staff to play, but he ultimately declined every time.”
Politico reported, however, that it had “reviewed evidence” that corroborated the sources’ account.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Berke for comment.
Berke had also reportedly pushed for the British prog-rock band Yes to play a gig there. Sources told Politico that Berke was careful not to directly participate in negotiations, mindful of the obvious conflict-of-interest concerns, since he also serves as the band’s legal counsel.
A spokesperson for the band said Yes ultimately “received a better offer elsewhere in DC” and did not play at the venue.
The attempted booking comes as Trump continues a sweeping overhaul of the Kennedy Center, reshaping leadership and steering the institution toward what he has described as a “Golden Age in Arts and Culture.” That effort has included installing allies in key roles.
Plans are underway for a massive renovation that would shutter the center for two years starting in July, alongside moves to revamp the institution by plastering Trump’s name onto the building, which opened in 1971 as an honor to President John F. Kennedy.
