It’s obvious that the second Trump administration has a clear and brutal strategy: flood the zone. In just the first few weeks of his presidency, President Donald Trump and his team have overwhelmed their Democratic Party opponents with policy changes across the board. With every day feeling more like a week, there’s simply too much “winning” for the already bruised and battered opposition to handle — especially when many of these changes enjoy majority support among the public.

But while Trump is without a doubt succeeding politically, his success in the so-called culture war is less secure. Trump’s recent takeover of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a living memorial to former President John F. Kennedy that hosts millions of visitors for thousands of performances, events, and exhibits every year, is one such example.

After Trump declared that “the Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation,” promising that “THE BEST IS YET TO COME” and calling for the board members appointed by former President Joe Biden to be terminated “immediately,” 18 board members were quickly ousted and replaced with Trump allies — including second lady Usha Vance, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and her mother, and the wives of numerous Trump donors. Then, Trump’s hand-picked board elected the president himself as chairman, triggering a wave of protest resignations and cancellations, with one performer saying, “Upon learning that this institution that has run nonpartisan for 54 years is now chaired by President Trump himself and his regime, I decided I will not perform there.”

Now, the idea that any institution that relies in any way on public funding is “nonpartisan” is demonstrably absurd given that the president makes appointments to the center’s board of trustees, let alone the fact that honorary chairwomen of the center include former first ladies Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama, and Jill Biden.

Is it a little on the nose to elect yourself as chairman of the center when you’re already president? Yes, of course. It sparks memories of Kevin Spacey’s character in Horrible Bosses who, as president, also announces himself as senior vice president of sales.

And should Trump be far too busy to add any further lines to his résumé? Absolutely. But then again, what’s the goal here?

If the goal is to effect cultural change, as Trump clearly suggests, then it does make sense for Trump to be the head of the spear, because it goes without saying that no one is better at fighting the culture war than Trump. But does that mean the spear is being aimed in the right direction to win the culture war?

If the objective is to make culture more conservative, we need a long-term strategy for enabling and celebrating those who create art that has a conservative message rather than focusing on branding, with the only difference being a color-scheme change or a glued-on endorsement of MAGA.

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Frankly, I’m not convinced that applying this sort of rebrand to the Kennedy Center, an institution falsely declared as a beacon of American culture that actually exemplifies the swamp-ish elite Trump claims to oppose, is the way to achieve that long-term goal. Instead, it feels a lot more like part of the strategy to make culture more pro-Trump.

The former is a long-term cultural play that uses politics as a cultural weapon, while the latter is a short-term political play that uses culture as a political weapon. Only one will outlive the Trump administration. Let’s hope Trump picks wisely.

Ian Haworth is a syndicated columnist, speaker, and podcast host. You can find him on Substack and follow him on X at @ighaworth.