"Several weeks earlier, Donald Trump had fired him as the chair of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Rubenstein chairs many elite institutions, but the Kennedy Center might be seen as the capstone of his résumé. Explaining his decision, Trump had posted on Truth Social that Rubenstein did not "share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture." The president announced that the "amazing" new chair of the center would instead be one "DONALD J. TRUMP.""
"Rubenstein, who is not accustomed to being fired, at first deflected my questions with gin-dry self-deprecation: "I'm the first person to be fired by a president and succeeded by one." But the firing stung. Rubenstein has, for decades, converted his extraordinary wealth into soft power, cultivating an ostensibly apolitical brand. He calls himself a practitioner of "patriotic philanthropy," with a stated mission to remind Americans of their heritage and history in service of a strengthened democracy."
Donald Trump removed David Rubenstein as chair of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, posting that Rubenstein did not "share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture" and naming himself chair. Rubenstein cultivated an ostensibly apolitical public role through large-scale giving, calling his approach "patriotic philanthropy." He has donated more than $1 billion to museums, historical sites, and cultural projects, funding exhibits, libraries, and major expansions. Rubenstein's name appears on numerous Washington institutions, and his philanthropy has been a central mechanism of his influence in cultural life.
Read at The Atlantic
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