Like a general at war inspecting a ruined village snatched from the enemy, Donald Trump spent a few hours on Monday, March 17, at the Kennedy Center, Washington's main entertainment venue and the country's cultural beacon. The new US president carried out a putsch on the site, and he put it his way: "We've taken control of it."
It's as if Emmanuel Macron, unhappy with the programming at the Paris Opera or the Louvre, decided to fire the bosses and replace them himself. Exaggerated? No. Trump fired the director of the Kennedy Center, purged the board of directors and repopulated it with close friends, such as country singer Lee Greenwood (his hit "God Bless the USA" is a Trump campaign anthem) and two figures from the conservative Fox News channel. He made himself president of the cultural center after ousting the incumbent and has just held his first working meeting. As if he had nothing else to do.
For the first time in half a century, a US president has trampled on the principle of neutrality that has hitherto governed this federally-dependent institution, which Republicans and Democrats have steered in good harmony, leaving ideology in the checkroom and artists to create.
It's no coincidence that Trump is staging a putsch in this cultural jewel. It's no coincidence that he spends time there. It's no coincidence that he sees it as a weapon against the left-wing elites, whom he intends to humiliate. For one thing, it's one of the few places where he can act, since it depends on the federal government, whereas the vast majority of museums and theaters in the country are run by private actors. The White House contributes only 16% of the $268 million budget (the rest comes from ticket sales and patrons), but Trump is indeed the boss; he announced his appointment on his social media network by mimicking the gestures of a conductor.
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Trump also went for the Kennedy Center because the white marble building with bay windows and colonnades, erected in 1971 on the banks of the Potomac, is monumental. No less than three vast theaters – concert, opera, theater – offering 2,000 performances a year and attracting 2 million spectators. The program is eclectic, from hip-hop to musical comedy. It is home to the National Symphony Orchestra, which is of a high standard but below the country's top five ensembles. Whatever the quality, Trump wouldn't set foot there. The place is visible, it carries weight, and that's what matters to him.
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