""I have withdrawn from my upcoming performance with the NSO at The Kennedy Center. Performing there has become charged and political, at an institution where the focus should be on the music. I look forward to playing with the NSO another time in the future when we can together share and celebrate art.""
""You just made it political and caved to the woke mob who wants you to perform for only Lefties," Grenell posted to X. "This mob pressuring you will never be happy until you only play for Democrats. The Trump Kennedy Center believes all people are welcome - Democrats and Republicans and people uninterested in politics. We want performers who aren't political - who simply love entertaining everyone regardless of who they voted for," Grenell continued."
Béla Fleck, an 18-time Grammy-winning folk artist, withdrew from an upcoming performance with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, citing a "charged" political atmosphere after the institution was renamed by President Trump. Fleck said he hopes to perform with the NSO in the future when the focus can be on sharing and celebrating art. Ric Grenell, the Kennedy Center’s acting director and former acting director of national intelligence in the Trump administration, publicly criticized Fleck on X, accusing him of caving to a "woke mob" and insisting the center welcomes all and seeks nonpolitical performers. Grenell reposted his criticism an hour later.
Read at LGBTQ Nation
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