Trump hits out at 'lesbian-only Shakespeare' as he criticises Kennedy Center

Donald Trump has criticised previous programming at the esteemed Kennedy Center after he took over as President of the performing arts venue in February 2025.

Despite claiming to be a champion of free speech the president described the programming as out of control "rampant political propaganda, DEI and inappropriate shows".

Trump went on to list performances including queer and trans youth dance shows and lesbian-only Shakespeare, saying: "Who thinks of these ideas really?"

Supporters cackled in the audience but not everyone's onboard with the changes with many boycotting the venue after Trump got rid of 18 board members and replaced them with people more politically aligned with him.

Hit Broadway show Hamilton, Pulitzer Prize-winning folk musician Rhiannon Giddens, and actor Issae Rae are among those pulling performances from the venue.

Why not read...

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

Up next News

Viral

News

Politics

Sport

Showbiz