Since the Kennedy Center in Washington was named after current President of the United States of America (US) Donald Trump, artists have been canceling their scheduled performances, and the head of that cultural institution, Trump loyalist Richard Grenell, assessed today via the social network X that these cancellations are being made by those whose performances were scheduled by the "previous, far-left leadership", implying the administration of former President Joseph Biden.
Grenell, a Republican whom Trump appointed to head the Kennedy Center after firing its previous leadership, also said the dismissals exposed artists' reluctance to have their music heard across political divides.
Biden is a member of the now opposition Democratic Party of the United States.
Jazz supergroup The Cookers have decided not to play New Year's Eve at the now-renamed Kennedy Center, announcing on their website that they "made the decision very quickly" and acknowledging that those who wanted to attend the concert were disappointed.
The group did not explicitly mention that the reason for adding Trump's name to the institution's name, or the Trump administration, was because they wanted the venue to be "able to celebrate the full presence of the music and everyone present," noting that the group "plays music that transcends boundaries rather than deepens them."
One of the group's members, saxophonist Billy Harper, wrote on Facebook on Saturday that he personally "would not even consider the idea of playing in a venue that bears a name - or is controlled by the kind of board of directors - that signifies open racism and the deliberate destruction of African-American music and culture."
"This is the same music that I have dedicated my life to creating and developing," the musician wrote.
Trump fired the entire Kennedy Center board of directors in February and appointed himself its chairman. Protests followed, with performances canceled and some prominent musicians refusing to continue as expert advisors.
The White House recently announced that the renaming of the Kennedy Center was approved by a committee personally selected by Trump.
Harper said on Facebook that the new board of directors "and the name that has been put on the building represent the mentality and practices" that he has always been against. "And now I am against it, more than ever," he added.
Grenell sent a statement to the AP saying that "the last-minute cancellations show that they were never prepared to play for everyone - even those with whom they disagree politically."
This former diplomat from the era of Trump's first term claims that the center he runs is "inundated with requests from real artists who are willing to play for anyone and reject political statements in their art."
The Kennedy Center is not currently issuing a statement regarding possible legal action against the group that canceled its participation.
Previously, musician Chuck Redd canceled a Christmas performance, and Grenell threatened to sue him - with a claim for damages of $ 1 million for "political posturing".
The center is named after John F. Kennedy, the Democratic President of the United States who was assassinated in 1963.
The US Congress named the center after him, and experts say any name change must have congressional approval.
There is also a law that explicitly prohibits the board of directors from dedicating the Kennedy Center to anyone else and putting their name on the building.
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