President Trump’s unprecedented move to gain appointment as chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was accomplished with unusual speed after he took office. He replaced most of the existing board members with his appointees, including his chief of staff Susie Wiles and her stepmother; Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino; and the wives of Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. In turn, the new board quickly elected Trump, thus expanding his imprint outside of government to oversee the national cultural center that operates as a public/private partnership under federal law.
While most of the attention has focused on this dramatic series of events, another vital aspect deserves attention. This cherished institution, established in 1963, is the living memorial to the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy. Congress and President Lyndon B. Johnson agreed that this would be an enduring tribute to be accorded to Kennedy for a special reason.
As the White House Historical Association notes, “Although guest artists had been entertaining at the White House for more than a century, President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy made the White House a true showcase for the performing arts and their creativity. … By inviting the media to White House cultural events, they placed a spotlight on the White House and demonstrated that the Executive Mansion could indeed be an influence in encouraging public acceptance of the arts. Reflecting Jacqueline Kennedy’s assertion that she wanted ‘only the best,’ America’s finest performing arts organizations were featured: The Metropolitan Opera Studio, Jerome Robbins Ballet, American Ballet Theater, American Shakespeare Festival, New York City Center Light Opera Company and many others.”
The association also observed there is “little evidence that JFK was particularly sophisticated about the arts. … He never considered himself an intellectual or an original thinker. His musical tastes ran to Broadway show tunes and Irish ballads rather than Mozart or Beethoven. Once, when asked about the president’s taste in music, the first lady replied that his favorite piece was ‘Hail to the Chief.’
Kennedy, like an earlier president, Theodore Roosevelt, understood the importance of his use of the “bully pulpit,” in his case, to demonstrate a regard for, and recognition of, cultural and intellectual excellence. Inviting Robert Frost — along with 50 poets, musicians, painters and writers to Kennedy’s inauguration — set the tone for how he would advance the arts in American culture and society throughout his term in office.
In June 1963, only months before his life tragically was cut short by the shocking assassination in Dallas, Kennedy wrote a letter to August Heckscher, his special consultant on the arts, after reviewing a report he had requested from him, “The Arts and the National Government,” which provided numerous recommendations for sustaining government support of the arts. “I have long believed . . . that the quality of America’s cultural life is an element of immense importance in the scales by which our worth will ultimately be weighed.”
With Trump now leading the country and the Kennedy Center, he has a unique opportunity to link the values of that institution with the values of President Kennedy. In doing so, he can continue the public discourse that Kennedy began more than 60 years ago — toward what JFK called “our contribution to the human spirit.”
An eloquent executive order along the lines of Kennedy’s response to the Heckscher report would be an immediate way to demonstrate that there may be efficiency and wisdom in Trump performing these two roles simultaneously. It undoubtedly would be well received in the nation’s capital and beyond — positioning the president, like JFK, as an ardent advocate for the arts, while helping to bridge bitter political divides as well.
