'Can't stand on that stage': More artists are canceling Kennedy Center shows due to Trump
One of President Donald Trump's administration aides is being attacked for allegedly blasting the boss last year and being a secret Democrat.
Rick Grenell, who serves Trump as his special presidential envoy for special missions of the United States, was previously the acting director/president of the Kennedy Center. He brought in Rick Canny to work with a group of people on remaking the memorial to the slain former president in Trump's image. While Grenell is gone, Canny remains.
Politico reported that Canny, who is now working as the artistic manager, allegedly made anti-Trump comments in private meetings and in conversations, three people who heard the remarks told the site. It's believable given some of the things Canny has said on social media.
At least two people said that they recall Canny telling them, "F—— Trump." Trump renamed the Kennedy Center in his own honor during his first year in office. It was another thing Canny took issue with, one of the sources told Politico.
The report said that it matches a similar post in which Canny "mocked former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway and cautioned that killing environmental standards could lead to Americans being 'sickened/ poisoned.'” That post is no longer online, however.
Canny denies launching profanity about Trump or saying that he hated the president.
"I came here to help restore the grandeur, the majesty, the greatness of our nation’s premier performing arts center,” Canny promised in an email to Politico. “I was truly surprised at the scope of the problems.”
Canny is part of a tribe called "The Icks," The New Yorker reported. It includes Rick Loughery and Nick Meade, both of whom worked with Ric Grenell when he was at the helm of the Performing Arts Center. It also works as a double meaning, the report said that "The Icks" are so viewed because they have Grenell's leadership style.
The management of the Kennedy Center has been fraught since Trump decided to fire the full board and appoint his own people, prompting shows to pull out of performances at the center.