The Trump–Kennedy Center stated that it will sue a jazz musician for $1 million in damages after he canceled a Christmas Eve performance in an effort to protest the venue’s renaming.
The Center criticized Redd’s last-minute exit from the show, which would have been free to the public.
“Any artist cancelling their show at the Trump Kennedy Center over political differences isn’t courageous or principled—they are selfish, intolerant, and have failed to meet the basic duty of a public artist: to perform for all people,” the Trump-Kennedy Center’s Vice President of Public Relations Roma Daravi wrote in a statement to The Epoch Times on Dec. 27.
Redd was a member of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra for 15 years and often performs at festivals and clubs across the nation, per the musician’s website.
The Epoch Times contacted Redd for comment, but did not receive a reply by publication time.
The Trump–Kennedy Center plans to file a lawsuit against Redd after the holidays.
“Art is a shared cultural experience meant to unite, not exclude. The Trump Kennedy Center is a true bipartisan institution that welcomes artists and patrons from all backgrounds—great art transcends politics, and America’s cultural center remains committed to presenting popular programming that inspires and resonates with all audiences,” Daravi said.
The president appointed over a dozen new board members, including Second Lady Usha Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, and Allison Lutnick, the wife of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Dec. 18, Trump said he was “very honored” by the renaming.
“The board is a very distinguished board, most distinguished people in the country, and I was surprised by it. I was honored by it,” Trump said.