The Kennedy Center, which is largely closed for renovations, has named a Trump insider as its new artistic director, according to a report.
Rick Canny, who has served as a senior adviser to the performing arts institution since last year, has been appointed to the role in a “consulting capacity,” The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
His compensation package was not disclosed but a job posting for the role indicated a salary range of $270,000-$290,000.
Canny, a veteran entertainment industry executive, has been involved in several efforts to reshape the center since Trump became chair of its board, including a proposal to revamp its ticketing system.
“We need to stop ‘short order cooking’ and get to the renovations,” he wrote in a March email to the center’s chief financial officer, according to the Post. “We don’t need passion projects. This is business.”
The Independent has contacted the center for comment.
Trump took control of the Kennedy Center after becoming chair of its board in February 2025, replacing trustees and installing allies in senior roles.
His board later voted to add his name to the institution, prompting a lawsuit from Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat, and other legal challenges. In May, a district judge ruled that Congress — not the president or board — controlled the center’s name and ordered Trump’s name removed.
In June, workers removed the lettering spelling out Trump’s name from the facade, and a large tarp was then installed in the area.
The president has also championed a two-year closure of the performing arts center, which he says is necessary to make long-overdue renovations. Though the closure has been temporarily blocked by a court, officials announced last month that the center would shut down, citing the need for structural repairs.
The upheaval has coincided with financial strain, which deepened after Trump’s name was added to the building.
Artists canceled performances, and internal projections in May indicated the center would generate $124 million out of the $220 million that had been budgeted for the year.
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