Mon Mar 10 03:00:00 UTC 2025: ## Trump Completes Conservative Overhaul of Kennedy Center Board with Fox News Appointments

**Washington, D.C.** – President Donald Trump finalized his reshaping of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees on Friday, appointing Fox News personalities Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo. The appointments, announced via Trump’s Truth Social platform, complete a transformation of the board to a predominantly conservative body.

The move has been met with considerable controversy. Numerous artists have severed ties with the Kennedy Center in protest of Trump’s influence, citing his changes as the reason for their departure. The most recent high-profile withdrawal is the Broadway hit “Hamilton,” which cancelled its scheduled 2024 run at the center, a decision that angered interim president Richard Grenell.

The new board now includes several individuals with close ties to the Trump administration and his inner circle, including second lady Usha Vance, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and her mother, deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, country singer Lee Greenwood, and Melania Trump’s former advisor Pamela Gross, alongside spouses of Trump’s major donors and business associates.

Ingraham and Bartiromo, both known for their staunch support of Trump, bring further partisan alignment to the board. Ingraham, host of “The Ingraham Angle,” has been criticized for promoting conspiracy theories, including the “great replacement” theory and spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and the January 6th Capitol attack. Bartiromo, known for her favorable interviews with Trump, notably conducted his first post-election interview in 2020, where she allowed him to disseminate false claims without challenge. Her promotion of election fraud conspiracies is currently cited in defamation lawsuits against Fox News.

Trump’s statement on Truth Social proclaimed his intention to “restore the Center to Greatness, and usher in America’s Golden Age,” a declaration that stands in stark contrast to the growing concerns and departures among artists and the broader arts community.

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