U .S. President Donald Trump has dismissed Colleen Shogan, the Archivist of the United States, and announced plans to shake up the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in his latest moves to upend institutions in Washington.
Role Of The National Archivist
The national archivist is responsible for overseeing government records and heads the National Archives, an agency Trump has repeatedly criticized since it alerted the Justice Department to Trump’s handling of classified documents in early 2022.
Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center, which receives federal funding, is one of the nation’s leading arts facilities and has long enjoyed bipartisan support and national renown.
Presidents appoint members of its board of trustees.
Trump has had a mixed relationship with both institutions.
FBI Raid
The FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022 as part of an investigation into removal of official presidential records from the White House after his first term.
The National Archives had been seeking the documents.
He was later indicted for illegally retaining classified material.
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith dropped that case and one accusing him of attempting to subvert the results of the 2020 election after Trump’s 2024 election win.
Dismissal Of The Archivist
Sergio Gor, the Director of the White House’s Presidential Personnel Office, announced the dismissal of the archivist, at Trump’s direction, on X.
“We thank Colleen Shogan for her service,” Gor said.
Archivist Says She Did Her Best
Shogan, who was not in office when the documents investigation began, said on LinkedIn that Trump had fired her without citing a reason or cause.
“I have zero regrets – I absolutely did my best every day for the National Archives and the American people,” she wrote.
Massive Government Makeover
Since taking office last month, Trump, a Republican, has embarked on a massive government makeover, firing and sidelining hundreds of civil servants and top officials at agencies in his first steps toward downsizing the bureaucracy and installing more loyalists.
On Friday, he extended that shakeup to the Kennedy Center, which he knocked for having featured “Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth.”
Refusal To Attend Annual Kennedy Center Honors
During his first term in office, Trump declined to attend the annual Kennedy Center Honors, considered the top award for achievement in the arts.
In December, at the last show attended by President Joe Biden, the center’s leaders made clear that Trump was welcome to come in the future.
Kennedy Center Board Chairman Also Not Spared
Trump targeted one of those leaders, Kennedy Center board chairman David Rubenstein, on Friday, and announced he would be taking Rubenstein’s place.
“I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture,” Trump said in a social media post. “We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!”
In one of his final acts before leaving office last month, Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rubenstein, a billionaire businessman and philanthropist.
Rubenstein did not respond to a request for comment.
Statement By The Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center said in a statement that it had received no formal notifications from the White House about changes to its board, which, it said, chooses the organization’s chair.
“We are aware that some members of our board have received termination notices from the administration,” it said.
“There is nothing in the Center’s statute that would prevent a new administration from replacing board members; however, this would be the first time such action has been taken with the Kennedy Center’s board.”
The Kennedy Center hosts more than 2,000 events each year and is the official residence of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera.
It serves as a living memorial to its namesake, President John F. Kennedy.
(With inputs from Reuters)
