President Donald Trump has said the cultural institution will close for two years on July 4 for renovations.

Kennedy Center head Richard Grenell out after a chaotic year as Trump names replacement

President Donald Trump has said the cultural institution will close for two years on July 4 for renovations.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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on March 13, 2026 8:08 p.m. ET

Richard Grenell. Credit:

Sean Gallup/Getty

One more change at the Kennedy Center: Richard Grenell, the institution's president, is stepping down after a chaotic year at the Washington, D.C., venue.

President Donald Trump announced the move on Friday.

"Ric Grenell has done an excellent job in helping to coordinate various elements of the Center during the transition period, and I want to thank him for the outstanding work he has done," Trump wrote on his Truth Social. "THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER will be, at its completion, the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the World!"

Grenell, a Trump ally, has overseen the center since February 2025, as the administration has rebranded the venue to include the name of the current president.

Following Trump's attempts to remake the institution in his second term, the Kennedy family has been among those who've blasted Trump's moves, and multiple artists, including Issa Rae and the cast of *Hamilton*, opted to cancel their performances. Shonda Rhimes and Ben Folds resigned from the board.

Grenell will be replaced by Matt Floca, who currently oversees the Kennedy Center's facilities operations. The change is expected to be confirmed at a Monday meeting at the White House, according to the Associated Press, which cited a person familiar with the matter.

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"I am pleased to announce that Matt Floca," Trump wrote, "subject to the approval of the Board of Directors, will be named the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director, of THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER where, as Vice President of Operations, Matt has helped us achieve tremendous progress in bringing the Center to the highest level of Excellence!"

Floca was in charge of adding Trump's name to the venue last year, according to the *New York Times*. He also spoke with Trump "almost weekly," per the outlet, to finalize details of a planned $200 million makeover that's scheduled to begin this summer.

The renamed Kennedy Center.

Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty

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Trump reiterated in his announcement about the leadership change that the Kennedy Center will endure a long closure beginning this summer.

"A Complete Reconstruction of THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER will begin after the July 4th Celebration, with a scheduled Grand Re-Opening in approximately two years," he said.

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