Trump's Kennedy Center president fires off scathing $1M demand after musician cancels Christmas Eve show at the last moment
The newly appointed president of the Trump-Kennedy Center wrote a scathing letter to jazz musician Chuck Redd after he abruptly canceled an annual holiday performance.
Published: 05:41 GMT, 27 December 2025 | Updated: 15:05 GMT, 27 December 2025
The president of the recently renamed Kennedy Center issued a scathing letter to a musician who pulled out of a Christmas Eve performance, calling the drummer's ticket sales 'dismal' and demanding $1 million in damages.
Richard Grenell, the president of the Donald J Trump and John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, sent a letter to musician Chuck Redd after the host canceled the annual Jazz Jam.
Grenell slammed Redd for the 'abrupt cancellation' and accused the drummer of pulling out due to 'partisan political reasons,' in a letter published by the Associated Press.
'Your decision to withdraw at the last moment - explicitly in response to the Center’s recent renaming, which honors President Trump’s extraordinary efforts to save this national treasure - is classic intolerance and very costly to a non-profit Arts institution,' the letter read.
'Regrettably, your action surrenders to the sad bullying tactics employed by certain elements on the left, who have sought to intimidate artists into boycotting performances at our national cultural center.'
Grenell went on to accuse Redd's annual Jazz Jam of 'lagging considerably' behind the center's other holiday shows.
'Your dismal ticket sales and lack of donor support, combined with your last-minute cancellation has cost us considerably,' the letter continued before demanding $1 million in damages.
Grenell also praised the Trump administration in his letter for rescuing the venue from destruction.
Jazz musician Chuck Redd canceled his annual Christmas Eve performance at the Kennedy Center after the institution was renamed to include Donald Trump
The jazz singer Sharon Clark performed at the Christmas Eve Jazz Jam in 2024. Her views on the name change and this year's cancelation are not known
The newly-appointed board of trustees voted earlier this month to rename the center to The Donald J Trump and John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts
Redd told the Associated Press on Christmas Eve that he canceled the concert because of the Kennedy Center's name change.
'I've been performing at the Kennedy Center since the beginning of my career and I was saddened to see this name change,' Redd told .