Trump Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell is asking for the public's help to identify a 'terrorist suspect' who vandalized the Performing Arts Center in Washington, DC, this weekend, after months of attacks by Democrats over the venue's name change.
A custom-made ice rink on-site was set to host a performance of Le Patin Libre: Murmuration for a run from February 17 to 22, before it was doused on Friday with a black-brown substance, described by the Center's officials as a 'toxic chemical'. The damage was repaired, and shows resumed on Saturday.
In a Saturday evening post on X, Grenell shared videos of the 'terrorist suspect who attacked the Trump Kennedy Center', asking the public for help in identifying the individual, pointing out his shoes and umbrella.
The Center's Vice President of PR, Roma Daravi, told the Daily Mail, 'We have been verbally attacked nonstop for the last year, and now those lies have ignited real violence by someone against the Trump Kennedy Center.'
In an earlier post made to X on Friday evening, Grenell condemned the attack, noting, 'This is so sad & unnecessary – @TheDemocrats have been calling artists, urging them to cancel, and attacking the Center non-stop. It's a calculated campaign.'
The Trump-Kennedy Center leader also called on 'Commonsense Democrats' to speak up 'before this violence takes a life.'
Capitol Hill Democrats, including Congresswoman Joyce Beatty and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, have been vocal opponents of Grenell's leadership decisions since he took over the venue just over a year ago.
A vandalism suspect is seen in a video shared by Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell on X Saturday
A black-brown substance, described by Trump Kennedy Center officials as a 'toxic chemical' was spilled on an ice-rink on the Center's grounds on Friday
The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, with US President Donald Trump's name added to the building
Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who is a non-voting member of the Center's board, filed a federal lawsuit late last year against the Trump administration for renaming the building and claiming that the vote to do so was unanimous.
Members of former President John F. Kennedy's family were also riled up about the prospect of President Donald Trump's name being added to the Kennedy Center in Washington after the board voted to change the venue's name last December.
Joe Kennedy III, President John F. Kennedy's grandnephew and a former Massachusetts Congressman, wrote on X at the time that 'The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law.'
He also noted that 'it can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.'
Former President John F. Kennedy's niece Kerry Kennedy pledged to take a 'pickax' to the letters forming Trump's name on the building after he leaves office.
Kennedy heir Jack Schlossberg, a progressive social media star who is currently in the midst of his own run for Congress, saw the Center's renaming as a direct attack on him.
'Trump explicitly motivated to act by JACK FOR NEW YORK,' read a message posted by his campaign on X, adding that his run for office 'represents everything Trump can’t stand or defeat.'
The Kennedy Center Board is made up of both voting and non-voting members. The unanimous name change vote was cast by those loyal to Trump, while non-voting ex officio members did not cast ballots.
Despite his frequent clashes with Democratic leaders and members of the Kennedy Center board, Grenell has frequently insisted that he would welcome critics of his leadership to the Center.
An investigation is underway after the Kennedy Center's outdoor ice rink was vandalized Friday, forcing the cancellation of a performance, officials said
Officials with the Kennedy Center noted that a chemical was poured onto the ice rink early Friday morning, leading to the cancellation of a Friday ice show
Earlier this month, Grenell even hosted a handful of Democratic congressional spouses at the Center for a tour and dress rehearsal of the Winter's Tale ballet, per photos posted on his social media accounts.
A number of artists have cancelled performances at the historic DC arts venue, including award-winning composer Philip Glass, who called off a previously planned debut of his Symphony No. 15, 'Lincoln,' themed after the nation's 16th president.
Glass, 88, was recognized for his contributions to American music as a member of the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors class and is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the 20th century.
'Symphony No. 15 is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, and the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony,' Glass wrote in a statement on X last month.
The Kennedy Center's Vice President of Public Relations, Roma Daravi, told the Daily Mail at the time, 'we have no place for politics in the arts, and those calling for boycotts based on politics are making the wrong decision.'
Daravi also noted that the Center has 'not cancelled a single show.'
'Leftist activists are pushing artists to cancel, but the public wants artists to perform and create - not cancel under pressure from political insiders that benefit from creating division,' Daravi added.
The Center is planned to close in July of 2026 for substantial renovations and reopen two years later.
Trump asked Congress for $250 million for the project in the 'One Big Beautiful' bill that passed just before the bicameral July 4 recess last year.
