Trump Kennedy Center President Rick Grenell is filing a lawsuit against a jazz musician who abruptly canceled this year's annual “Christmas Jazz Jam” due to Trump Disorder Syndrome (TDS).
Musician Chuck Redd, the host of this year's annual Christmas concert, canceled the event after the Center's board voted unanimously to rename establishment of the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
“When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then a few hours later on the building, I decided to cancel our concert,” Redd told The Associated Press on Wednesday, hours before the scheduled event.
Grenell, who has worked diligently to rebuild the struggling institution, doesn't accept politically motivated cancellations lightly.
“Your poor ticket sales and lack of donor support, combined with your last-minute cancellation, have cost us dearly,” Grenell wrote Friday in a letter to Redd obtained by Breitbart News. “This is your legal notice that we will be seeking $1 million in compensation from you for this political stunt.”
Grenell criticized the artist for damaging an institution created to promote art throughout the country, not to serve as an isolated haven for liberal elites.
“Your decision to pull out at the last minute—clearly in response to the recent renaming of the Center, which honors President Trump’s extraordinary efforts to save this national treasure—is classic bigotry and comes at great cost to a nonprofit arts institution,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, your actions lend themselves to the sad intimidation tactics used by some elements of the left wing who are trying to intimidate artists into boycotting performances at our national cultural center.”
Roma Daravi, the Trump Kennedy Center's vice president for public affairs, echoed Grenell in criticizing Redd for putting petty political grievances before art.
“Any artist who cancels their performance at the Trump Kennedy Center because of political differences is not courageous or principled—they are selfish, intolerant, and have failed in the fundamental duty of a public entertainer: to perform for all people,” Daravi said in a statement. “The arts are a shared cultural experience designed to connect, not exclude. The Trump Kennedy Center is a truly bipartisan institution that welcomes artists and patrons of all backgrounds—great art transcends politics, and America's cultural center remains committed to presenting popular programming that inspires and resonates with all audiences.”
Grenell's letter highlighted the lack of enthusiasm for Redd's show, noting that “attendance at your Jazz Jam has lagged significantly behind our other Christmas and holiday offerings, which have drawn large crowds and enthusiastic responses,” adding that “the most avant-garde and respected artists in your genre will still perform regularly, and unlike you, they will do so to sold-out crowds, regardless of their political views.”
The Center has long been a haven for ultra-liberals, where they convened and worshiped the ideas of the Democratic Party and radical social causes such as DEI and the transgender agenda.
The Trump-Kennedy Center's previous leadership had a pattern of booking artists that suggested it was more interested in politics than art. Redd's cancellation for political reasons, one of many left-wing performers are just the latest example. In February, several left stars left Center after Trump appointed himself chairman.
However, although the center supported the Democrats, they did not respond in kind. Grenell, appointed president of the Trump-Kennedy Center in January, inherited poorly maintained and outdated physical facilities and finances, perhaps in even worse shape.
Trump and Grenell have worked to rebuild the Center's foundations and refocus its agenda back on its core mission—not an easy task, but one that is already paying off.
Under Trump's leadership, the Kennedy Center has raised a record $23 million, nearly double the $12.7 million raised last year under President Joe Biden, Fox News Digital reported.
And in September, the center's annual gala raised $3.45 million for the National Symphony Orchestra. record for the annual gala.
“President Trump's vision to make the Kennedy Center accessible to more people is clearly working. Half of the visitors were first-time guests, and their enthusiasm crushed fundraising expectations nearly three times greater than had ever been done before,” Grenell said at the time.
Trump has immeasurably raised the profile of the Trump Kennedy Center by personally attending events and providing frequent updates on the Center's work, bringing the site to the attention of millions of Americans and potential patrons unfamiliar with what has long been a haven for Washington's liberal elites.
But Democrats and their left-wing allies are continuing their protests, pointing to an initial decline in ticket sales caused largely by their own political boycotts that the current leadership is reversing with improved programming. Even a Democratic MP sued Trump on changing his name.
Trump, Grenell and their teams are unfazed as they continue their work to rejuvenate the Center and ensure its financial viability, expanding its offerings and making it more attractive to a broader range of patrons more representative of America.
In mid-December, ahead of the board's vote, Trump, responding to a question from Breitbart News' Nick Gilbertson, insisted that the Center was now better serving all Americans and was in a better financial position.
“I think it's really improved a lot in the last ten months, that is, since we've been here and we've been making it great,” he said from the Kennedy Center red carpet. “We're going to make it physically magnificent as a building. So you won't even believe how beautiful it will be.”
“And we saved the Kennedy Center,” Trump added. “It's a big deal.”
Bradley Jay is deputy political editor at Breitbart News. Follow him further X/Twitter And Instagram @BradleyADJ.
