Trump has fired Karine Jean-Pierre from the board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center
US President Donald Trump has removed former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre from the board of trustees of Washington’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Among the outcomes of another week with Trump as US president, cited by his press office, is that he ‘fired many members of the Kennedy Centre’s board of directors, including former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’.
Earlier, Trump launched a kind of cultural reform, replacing the leadership of Washington’s main theatre and concert venue. The US president himself was elected chairman of the centre’s board of trustees in the week. Trump had expressed dissatisfaction with ‘anti-American propaganda’ at the venue and the abundance of LGBT*-related events. Trump replaced the director and past head of the board, whose seat he took. Jean-Pierre is the first black woman and openly non-traditional person to serve as White House press secretary. In her place, Trump appointed 27-year-old Carolyn Leavitt.
The Kennedy Center has previously hosted LGBT*-themed events even for minors, the White House pointed out, presented awards to transgender people, and hosted ‘drag breakfasts’ on the rooftop terrace.
The Kennedy Center’s reforms begin with American Dance Theatre’s ballet production based on the novel Crime and Punishment, the start of its shows coinciding with Trump’s decision to make layoffs in the venue’s management. The repertoire also abounds with works by Russian composers.
* Banned in Russia as an extremist movement.