Floyd Brown — who was fired a little over a week ago from the Kennedy Center for past comments supporting the biblical view of marriage — said he is still supportive of President Donald Trump’s MAGA agenda, but he’s disappointed he will no longer be helping to carry it out in government.
Late last month, CNN ran a story describing Brown as a professing Christian who has made statements in the past critical of the homosexual lifestyle and same-sex marriage. The outlet appeared to take credit for getting him fired, “just hours after CNN reached out with questions about his past statements.”
In April, Brown had taken a position as vice president of development at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
He is the founder and former owner of The Western Journal and a Reagan administration and presidential campaign alumnus.
Brown actively promoted the MAGA agenda, including working in Arizona politics as a voluntary chairman of Kari Lake’s U.S. Senate campaign, writing a 2023 bestselling book titled “Counterpunch” and participating with Christian speaker Lance Wallnau in a 2024 swing-state tour to rally the Christian base to engage and vote for Trump and GOP candidates.
Trump won 80 percent of the white evangelical vote, according to the Associated Press, and 90 percent of what the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University identified as SAGE Con voters (i.e., Spiritually Active Governance Engaged Conservative Christians). White evangelicals made up 20 percent of the electorate in 2024, the AP said.
Wallnau invited Brown to appear on his podcast following his Kennedy Center removal to talk about what happened.
“I try to fight every day for President Trump and for his MAGA agenda, because our country is so important, and it’s so dear to us,” Brown told Wallnau.
“And so I want to do everything I can to help President Trump. In fact, that’s why I came to Washington. That’s why I said ‘Yes’ when they hired me at the Kennedy Center,” he continued.
“And that’s why I worked so hard over the course of the last few years to help President Trump and the entire MAGA team win back the Senate, win back the House, and of course, put President Donald Trump 47 back in the Oval Office. And I’m very grateful for those victories, and frankly wanted to be a part of the solution to restore America to the greatness that I know it can be part of,” Brown said.
In February, Trump named Richard Grenell as interim director of the Kennedy Center, writing on social media, “Ric shares my Vision for a GOLDEN AGE of American Arts and Culture, and will be overseeing the daily operations of the Center. NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA — ONLY THE BEST. RIC, WELCOME TO SHOW BUSINESS!” In other words, no more woke.
I am pleased to announce that Ric Grenell will serve as the Interim Executive Director of The Kennedy Center. Ric shares my Vision for a GOLDEN AGE of American Arts and Culture, and will be overseeing the daily operations of the Center. NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN…
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) February 10, 2025
Grenell has been a Trump loyalist dating back to the president’s first term, when he was acting director of national intelligence and ambassador to Germany. He also identifies as homosexual and has a male partner.
Brown posted on social media that he had asked to speak with Grenell after his firing from the Kennedy Center, but was denied.
In its reporting, CNN said that Grenell did not respond to a request for comment about Brown’s past comments.
Further, “A source familiar with the Kennedy Center confirmed to CNN that Brown is no longer there and said that Grenell had not met with Brown, did not know him, and was not involved in his hiring.” It’s worth noting the outlet did not say he was not responsible for his firing.
Brown gave some behind-the-scenes details in a post on X Friday, refuting the assertions that Grenell was oblivious to his removal.
Brown recounted that he has been asked how he knows that Grenell is responsible for his firing.
“The reason is simple; I was present in the office with my boss, Lisa Dale, when I saw Ric Grenell’s name appear on her phone. After the telephone call, she told me he demanded my firing. Lisa was adamant that she didn’t want to fire me and was forced to do it,” he wrote.
Brown also contradicted CNN’s reporting that Grenell does not even know who he is, saying they met multiple times during Kari Lake’s campaign events in both 2022, when she ran for Arizona governor, and 2024, when she ran for Senate.
He even shared an online flyer from an event last October when Grenell spoke in Phoenix for Lake, during which Brown also spoke.
It has been one week since my firing as a Vice President of the Kennedy Center for the Preforming Arts for my belief in traditional marriage. During the week since my firing, @RichardGrenell keeps telling the media he doesn’t know me, hasn’t met me, and wasn’t involved in hiring,… pic.twitter.com/jZ4kn7yFda
— Floyd Brown (@floydbrown) June 5, 2025
The facts at issue seem pretty clear: CNN inquired about Brown’s past statements about homosexuality and traditional marriage. Brown refused to recant them, and he was fired for his Christian beliefs.
“I still believe President Trump is restoring the greatness of America,” Brown told Wallnau. “I’m just a little disappointed that I’m not going to have a direct role in that.”
Wallnau responded, “No, and I’m disappointed the reason you’re not having a direct role is because you’re a Christian who has an opinion that evidently doesn’t flatter the position of other parts of our movement who are openly homosexual,” Wallnau responded.
“And we can work with them, as we do, but they cannot work with us,” he concluded.
Amen.
Shortly after taking office, Trump issued an executive order titled “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias,” with directives to federal agencies to root it out in government and society.
He should make it right with Brown and make sure he is rehired.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.