Trump insider gets lucrative job picking which acts will perform at the Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center, which is mostly shuttered for renovation work, has a new artistic director in Rick Canny, a longtime entertainment executive and ally of President Donald Trump. The Washington Post says he will work as a consultant, choosing programming. His pay was not disclosed, though a job listing for the position gave a range of $270,000 to $290,000, according to The Independent.

Canny had already been advising the institution since last year and has pushed several changes, among them a plan to overhaul ticketing. In a March email to the chief financial officer, quoted by the Post, he urged colleagues to focus on construction rather than pet projects, saying simply, "This is business." The Independent has asked the center for comment.

The appointment follows a turbulent stretch. Trump became board chair in February 2025, replaced trustees and placed allies in leadership. The board then voted to attach his name to the building, which led Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat, to sue. In May a district judge held that Congress controls the name, and in June workers took the lettering off the facade. A court has briefly halted the planned two-year closure, yet officials announced last month that the center would close.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →