WASHINGTON — Donald Trump joked about quitting as United States president if his hosting of the annual Kennedy Centre awards went well. But viewership ratings for this year's annual ceremony plummeted to a record low amid controversy over his takeover of the premier Washington arts complex, to which Trump's name was added this month. The centre was renamed the Trump-Kennedy Centre earlier this month in a vote by the board that sparked outrage from family members of the late John F Kennedy. Richard Grenell, the Trump-appointed president of the arts centre, denounced the performers canceling shows and said they "were booked by the previous far left leadership." "Boycotting the Arts to show you support the Arts is a form of derangement syndrome," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, late Monday.

Source: Bangkok Post January 01, 2026 03:33 UTC