The unofficially renamed “Donald Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts” has ripped into a musician who cancelled his performance in protest of the president’s rebranding of the historic cultural center.
Richard Grenell, the Trump-appointed president of the Kennedy Center, sent a furious letter to musician Chuck Redd—who has headed the annual Christmas Eve event since 2006—accusing him of manufacturing a costly “political stunt” by backing out of the show at the eleventh hour.
“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,” reads the letter, which was obtained by the Associated Press.
“This is your official notice that we will seek $1 million in damages from you for this political stunt.”
The Kennedy Center’s biography of Redd describes him as an “accomplished performer on both drums and vibraphone” who has appeared onstage alongside jazz legends including Charlie Byrd, Dizzy Gillespie, and Barney Kessel.
“I did choose to cancel our Kennedy Center Christmas Eve Jazz Jam when I saw the name change happening last Friday,” Redd, 67, told CNN in a statement.
“I’ve been performing at the Kennedy Center since the beginning of my career and I was saddened to see this name change.”
Redd is just one of several musicians, artists, shows, organizations, and other individuals who have distanced themselves from the historic Washington D.C. venue, which opened in 1971 as a “living memorial” to the slain 35th U.S. president, since Trump decided to remake it in his own likeness.
Donald Trump, who took issue with the center’s LGBTQ programming at the start of the year, fired its board and installed a new one, which quickly named the president its chair—a position he has used to ensure its arts program aligns with the administration’s agenda.
Actress, writer, and producer Issa Rae was one artist to remove herself from the Kennedy Center since it fell under Trump’s control.
“Due to what I believe to be an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums, I’ve decided to cancel my appearance at this venue,” she wrote in response to the takeover in February.
In the letter to Redd, Grenell mocks the Maryland School of Music lecturer as being an underperformer in the center’s program while simultaneously costing them significant sums for his late-notice withdrawal.
“The most avant-garde and well-regarded performers in your genre will still perform regularly, and unlike you, they’ll do it to sold-out crowds regardless of their political leanings,” Grenell wrote.
“True artists perform for everyone regardless of the political affiliation of audience members,” he continued.
The 59-year-old diplomat has a reputation for acidity and was described by a former colleague as “one of the most nasty, dishonest people I’ve ever encountered.”
The legal proceedings against Redd are yet another example of the Trump administration threatening artists who dare to speak critically of their operations.
Trump has personally been campaigning for the public removal of comedians like Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert for their on-air jabs at him. On Christmas Eve, the president posted a message to Truth Social suggesting that he might terminate the broadcast license of any TV network that airs negative stories about him. He concluded that series of messages with an oddly timed “MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!”
Trump is currently suing The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the BBC for perceived slights and misrepresentations.
