# Trump is Made Chair of the Kennedy Center **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [February 12, 2025, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248 "2025-02-12T21:55:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 30
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/581 "2026-06-18T22:58:34Z")
She is an ex officio member of the board, and she can’t be removed by Trump or his toadies. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/582 "2026-06-18T23:26:56Z")
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2025/12/31/kennedy-center-board-trustees-bylaws/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2025/12/31/kennedy-center-board-trustees-bylaws/) > The new rules say only trustees appointed by the president can vote, barring other members, including Democrats who hold seats, from decisions. The center said the change reflects “longstanding precedent.” So, cant vote. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/583 "2026-06-18T23:31:20Z")
So, she is still a member. So, illegal rules change. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/584 "2026-06-19T00:14:52Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > illegal rules change. Which the court judgement also pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/585 "2026-06-19T00:24:31Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > I’m sure you can have fake gold letters shipped overnight from Temu. I’m guessing you’ve never ordered from Temu. They may be cheap, but fast they ain’t. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/586 "2026-06-19T01:24:38Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > That’s old news in this thread. It also proves nothing except that someone was holding what looks like a letter “p”. Old news yes, but every day one of the construction workers who know for sure doesn’t leak about how the “p” was done with trickery, it is more certain to the real “p”. Now, they didn’t spend enough time to remove all traces. ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/587 "2026-06-19T01:32:23Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Old news yes, but every day one of the construction workers who know for sure doesn’t leak about how the “p” was done with trickery, it is more certain to the real “p”. How do you know they weren’t forced to sign some nondisclosure agreement? Trump loves those. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/588 "2026-06-19T02:07:53Z")
> [@Disinfectus](#): > > How do you know they weren’t forced to sign some nondisclosure agreement? Trump loves those. Wouldn’t stop me from calling the New York Times. How many workers were on this job? I recall seeing a lot. P.S. Plus each worker would have told a few friends and family who did not sign anything. Newspapers want multiple sources but I think they have no rule against hearsay. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/589 "2026-06-19T03:12:20Z")
And yet none of these workers, who I am sure were just randomly chosen with total disregard to their political affiliations, took pictures of the sign after the fact to sell to the highest bidder. ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/590 "2026-06-19T12:43:37Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Plus each worker would have told a few friends and family who did not sign anything. So, your theory is that if someone signed a form that insisted they not tell anyone what they saw under the threat of prosecution or worse, they would then go tell their friends and family, or go to the NY Times. Yeah, I’m not buying that. A number of the workers I saw were hispanic. I highly doubt they would be willing to risk Trump’s vengance, considering his administration’s treatment of them. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/591 "2026-06-19T14:05:19Z")
> [@Disinfectus](#): > > A number of the workers I saw were hispanic. I highly doubt they would be willing to risk Trump’s vengance, considering his administration’s treatment of them. I don’t like the conspiracy theory vibe of the previous two posts, but there is something about the comment above that particularly rubs me the wrong way. There are cowards among every ethnicity, but do not some Hispanics react to the administration’s treatment of them with bravery? Given the [leakist White House in history](https://theweek.com/articles/773355/leakiest-white-house-history), I do not buy that only the white people leak. P.S. I googled to find a headline with the leakiest in history claim, and the only one I found precisely saying it was that immediately above, and it’s from Trump 45. But [Trump administration leaking continues this week](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-humiliated-leak-secret-peace-024831928.html). ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/592 "2026-06-19T14:23:18Z")
Not to put too fine a point on this, but presumably these workers are professionals at building construction/maintenance/etc, not organized political activists. What are people expecting? While I do have politics on my mind during the day, I’m not actively thinking in that context at work. So, why is the expectation that the people working on the facade are suspicious enough to document their own actions, when they likely have not be told anything about the tarp, including whether or not it would be taken down after they finished work? The most likely scenario is they finished up work, went home, and went on with the rest of their lives. They wouldn’t, as a normal course of action, take photos of their own work on a normal day. Why is the expectation they know and recognize _this_ time was different? While the facade of the Kennedy Center is symbolically and politically important to many people, it is also totally unimportant to many, many others. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/593 "2026-06-19T14:28:26Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > They wouldn’t, as a normal course of action, take photos of their own work on a normal day. Why is the expectation they know recognize _this_ time was different? They also wouldn’t, as a normal course of action, have a crowd of people and news crews gathering to watch them work. Even ignoring politics, that alone makes it different _this_ time. As for pictures, I mentioned upthread that I’m guessing cameras/phone have been banned (or maybe an NDA is in place) since I’d expect pictures whether or not his name is still up. It’s kind of a big deal either day. I’m surprised we haven’t seen any pictures at all from under the curtain. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/594 "2026-06-19T14:36:41Z")
So, it remains a possibility but not a certainty? It’s an argument by incredulity. “How can they possibly not have thought to take pictures?” and “Surely, some photo would have leaked by now” are unconvincing. Maybe they did, maybe they didn’t. Maybe there’s an NDA, maybe there isn’t. But the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/595 "2026-06-19T14:45:02Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > What are people expecting? Option 1: They removed the letters behind a tarp, per a contract. No conspiracy. Option 2: Their employer accepted payment for a court-ordered job they did not do. Criminal conspiracy. I say Option 1. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/596 "2026-06-19T15:35:59Z")
Option 3: They, and the people that hired them, are betting the ruling will be overturned before the tarp is forced down, they will be touted as patriotic heroes, and the judge that gave the original ruling will back down. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/597 "2026-06-19T15:52:09Z")
Re last post, if you are saying that they failed to remove the letters, I see no difference between your Option 3 and my Option 2, and still predict history will show Option 1 to have been the case. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/598 "2026-06-19T15:56:49Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Option 3: They, and the people that hired them, are betting the ruling will be overturned before the tarp is forced down, they will be touted as patriotic heroes, and the judge that gave the original ruling will back down. And the followup to Option 3: Americans will be charged excesivly to put he letters ‘back up’. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/599 "2026-06-19T16:02:00Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > And the followup to Option 3: Americans will be charged excesivly to put he letters ‘back up’. Maybe I should disagree, but I’m not sure what you are saying. By putting the phrase ‘back up’ in scare quotes, are you predicting that, in the final best historical record, the letters were up on June 19, 2026, or that they were down? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248/600 "2026-06-19T16:02:44Z")
Except that “Criminal Conspiracy” doesn’t mean jack shit in Trumpmerica, a place where trying to violently take over the country is seen as heroic, and thus is not an argument in your favor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248.md?page=29) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-made-chair-of-the-kennedy-center/1014248.md?page=31)