San Francisco Frontiers - Prayers and anthems: welcome to the Trump-era Kennedy Center

The venue in the US capital's venerable arts complex is also available for rent, and on Thursday, it hosted a different kind of event: a conference on "ending Christian persecution" organized by the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

The series of lectures bookended by prayers is emblematic of the overhaul at the center engineered by Donald Trump since his return to the White House in January.

"The calculation has changed now -- it has become more of a government arts organization," Andrew Taylor, director of the arts management program at American University, told AFP.

During his first term, the Republican billionaire never attended the annual fundraising gala for recipients of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors, as many of those artists vocally opposed his policies.

This time, Trump moved quickly to make the center his own, purging the board of trustees of its Democratic appointees and ousting its president as part of a wider assault on federally funded cultural institutions he deems too "woke."

He installed himself as the chair of the board for the towering white monument to slain president John F. Kennedy facing the Potomac River, which opened in 1971.

In less than a year, some observers say, the status of the center -- a public-private partnership -- as a nonpartisan celebration of artistic excellence has largely evaporated.

Taylor said the center was now "fully aligned with the current administration, and not an independent arbiter of artistic excellence anymore."

The center's new president, former diplomat Richard Grenell, has repeatedly spoken about what he calls "common sense and traditional programming."

Some artists have canceled their appearances, and the producers of smash Broadway hit "Hamilton" have scrapped a run scheduled to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Meanwhile, in September, a prayer vigil was organized at the center for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, after his murder in Utah.

- 'Back to life' -

At the CPAC event, near a large American flag, the keynote speaker was Jennifer Korn, the faith director of the White House Faith Office.

She praised Trump for creating the office, which he did in February to "protect religious liberty," according to an executive order -- a concept already established in the Constitution's First Amendment.

But she quickly shifted to echo some of the administration's talking points about "anti-Christian bias" and the dangers of "transgender books" for children.

In the Concert Hall, Grenell has ordered the National Symphony Orchestra to play the national anthem ahead of each performance, rather than just to open the season.

The shift in tone at the Kennedy Center -- down to the portrait of a brooding Trump in the entryway -- may be bad for business.

A Washington Post analysis published Friday reveals that ticket sales for orchestra, dance and theater performances are down sharply in 2025 as compared to last year.

Since early September, 43 percent of tickets remained unsold for typical concerts or musical performances, the paper said -- as opposed to just seven percent of seats available last year.

The decline in sales has not stopped Trump from undertaking major renovations at the center -- from the carpets to the chandeliers to the heating -- and musing about putting his name on the complex.

"I just inspected the construction on The Kennedy Center. It is really looking good!" Trump wrote Friday on his Truth Social platform.

"My people are doing a really great job! We are bringing this building back to life. It was dead as a doornail, but it will soon be beautiful again!"

G.Allen--SFF