President Trump announced Friday that Richard Grenell will be stepping away as executive director of the Trump-Kennedy Center as the iconic performing arts venue prepares to close for a massive renovation project.
Grenell, who also serves as the president’s envoy for special missions, was named interim executive director of the Trump-Kennedy Center last February and has overseen daily operations and sweeping changes at the venue.
The longtime Republican foreign policy adviser will remain active with the Trump-Kennedy Center after his departure, working as an unpaid consultant, according to Axios.
Richard Grenell, former acting Director of the United States National Intelligence, speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at The Rosen Shingle Creek on February 25, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. Getty ImagesMatt Floca, the vice president of facilities operations at the Trump-Kennedy Center, will succeed Grenell and serve as chief operating officer and executive director once the change is approved by the venue’s board of directors, the president said in a social media post.
“Matt has helped us achieve tremendous progress in bringing the Center to the highest level of Excellence!” Trump said of Floca on Truth Social.
“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,” the president added. “THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER will be, at its completion, the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the World!”
A woman walks outside The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts on Feb. 2, 2026, in Washington. APThe president, who is also the chairman of the Trump-Kennedy Center board, is expected to attend a board meeting at the White House on Monday where the change will officially be announced, according to Axios.
Trump said Grenell shared his “vision for a GOLDEN AGE of American Arts and Culture” when he tapped the special envoy to lead the cultural center last year.
“NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA — ONLY THE BEST,” Trump said of changes he asked Grenell to implement.
Apart from installing Grenell as executive director, Trump purged the center’s board of all of former President Joe Biden’s appointees shortly after being sworn into his second term and filled it with his supporters who elected him chairman.
More recently, the Trump-chaired board voted to rename the marquee DC performance venue after the president.
The center has faced a flurry of performance cancellations in response to the dramatic changes.
Last month, Trump announced the venue would be closing for two years, beginning on July 4, to undergo substantial renovations.
The president shared renderings of the revamped building ahead of announcing the leadership change.
“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,” Trump said of the project.
