Richard Grenell worked for years to break through the ruthless ranks of the MAGA movement, fighting with incredible tenacity to take over the leadership of the country's most important intelligence apparatus in 2020.
Six years later, at the height of Donald Trump's power, he found himself at the helm of a theater - and now that job has been put on hold, writes the British Daily Mail.
Grenell’s career took another sharp turn this month when Trump announced plans to close the Kennedy Center for a major two-year renovation. The move followed a year of internal crises and high-profile cancellations that had marked the institution’s tenure under Grenell. Now, the “complete overhaul” leaves the former intelligence chief in both literal and metaphorical ruins.
"We were all pretty taken aback. I'm worried he's going to blow everything up," said one source who worked with Grenell at the Kennedy Center.
The 59-year-old, Michigan-born, openly gay Grenell presents himself as the ultimate political insurgent – a combative and tough diplomat who bypassed traditional channels to deliver results for a one-man audience – the president.
However, as the US operation to capture Nicolas Maduro changed the global landscape, the man once considered a sure candidate for a high ministerial position found himself outside Trump's inner circle.
Two former colleagues described him as a “relentlessly ambitious bastard,” and his sharp elbows and short fuse ultimately backfired on him, as he was pushed out of the administration’s highest and most sensitive foreign policy decisions, according to four diplomatic sources who worked closely with him.
The most significant conflict concerned Venezuela, a flashpoint for which he was appointed a “special envoy” at the beginning of Trump’s second term.
Grenell initially saw tangible results from his softer approach, negotiating prisoner releases and advocating a “pragmatism” that prioritized oil deals over regime change. But he soon found himself at a tactical stalemate with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
While Rubio insisted on "maximum pressure" and military buildup that ultimately led to Maduro's shocking arrest, Grenell advocated a "different relationship" with the dictator, based on diplomacy and coercion, writes the Daily Mail.
“Even Maria Machado refused to meet with him,” said a U.S. diplomat who worked with Grenell. “We heard that she didn’t want to have anything to do with him and didn’t like what he represented.”
A diplomat familiar with their failed meeting told the Daily Mail that Macada's reluctance stemmed partly from a mix of "arrogance and inflexibility."
"She thought Grenell was below her level... she didn't understand who Grenell was, he was a nobody in Latin America. She was also cautious, she didn't know him or trust him," the diplomat explained, adding that Machado didn't want to be used for symbolic purposes.
Two diplomatic sources and one from the State Department told the Daily Mail that Rubio – with the support of Chief of Staff Susie Wiles – ultimately managed to “kick” Grenell out of the Venezuela portfolio, leaving him aside while Rubio’s hawkish vision was realized.
But Grenell's real downfall began long before the plan to arrest Maduro, when his ego escalated during the last campaign.
According to a source close to the White House, Grenell was at Mar-a-Lago persuading campaign aides that he should be Trump's running mate.
Then came a pivotal incident at the Republican National Convention, where a heated argument with Susie Wiles over the timing of his on-stage speech escalated.
"He yelled at Susie and told her, 'You're the reason we're going to lose this f***ing election!'" the same source said. The confrontation was reportedly so intense that Wiles was on the verge of tears.
He probably didn't know it at the time, but that outburst, according to sources, sealed his fate and closed the door on him from serious ministerial positions in the Trump administration 2.0.
Grenell denied any feud with Wiles and claimed to be on friendly terms with her. He later called the Daily Mail and said Wiles would call to confirm that the story was false. That call never came.
Chris LaCivita, who ran Trump's 2024 campaign with Wiles, told the Daily Mail: "Whoever is feeding you this nonsense is a fool."
However, according to sources, Wiles was known to make jokes about Grenell in the Oval Office, which indicated that the animosity still existed.
Grenell’s circle of associates has been nicknamed the “throwaway toy club.” In one instance, he allegedly arranged for the Serbian president to come to Florida for a quiet meeting with Trump in May 2025. The meeting never happened. Sources claim that Wiles personally blocked the meeting.
Grenell also maintained private business interests, including a partnership with Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners and his own firm, Capitol Media Partners. Estimates of his wealth range from $1 million to $5 million.
One diplomat called him a “transactional diplomat,” while others claim he left behind a series of burned bridges.
Grenell publicly revealed in 2013 that he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and underwent aggressive chemotherapy. By September of that year, he was in remission.
His penchant for risk, sources say, has turned into a relentless and often brazen ambition for the highest office – including a desire to one day replace Rubio.
But that goal now seems far away.
"He's bombastic and incredibly confident for reasons that I honestly don't understand... He was clearly on the wrong side of the administration when it came to Venezuela and Rubio," said a former Trump official. "His 15 minutes of fame are over, and that's why he's at the Kennedy Center now."
Grenell's February appointment to head the Kennedy Center came as Trump was planning to change the institution's name.
Now it has found itself in the midst of controversy – accusations of budget cuts, outcry over its renaming as the “Trump-Kennedy Center,” and clashes with prominent artists.
A growing number of performers are boycotting the institution, canceling performances while ticket sales are declining.
Amid mounting pressure, Grenell privately told close friends that he planned to leave the Kennedy Center later this year.
For now, the man who once dreamed of leading the American intelligence community or diplomacy finds himself at the helm of a theater – literally and figuratively – as his ambitions collide with the reality of his reputation.
"His goal, his ambition, is to be secretary of state," the veteran diplomat said. "But I don't see that happening. Trump knows the negative views that many people have about him."
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