President Donald Trump wants to lavish his personal friends with Kennedy Center Honors, after parachuting himself into the hot seat at the cultural mecca. Earlier this month, Trump, who reportedly also privately railed against the center’s perceived focus on liberal artists,

The president took issue with "drag shows specifically targeting our youth" after the venue hosted several drag brunches and events in 2024.

The center has since canceled performances by the touring children’s musical “Finn” and a planned concert featuring the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C. Although Trump has said that the Kennedy Center overhaul is part of his overall campaign against “woke” culture,

For the arts institution, which receives only a small portion of its budget from federal funding, the perennial challenge is to raise additional revenue through ticket sales and private donations.