Donald Trump's continued obsession with the Kennedy Center may have weakened one of the biggest MAGA talking points.
The president confirmed earlier this week that the Center would close for two years to undergo renovation work from July 2026. The renovation work comes after a collection of artists confirmed they would no longer perform at the venue, with some shows cancelled entirely just days before they were set to go ahead.
Trump added his name to the Kennedy Center building late last year, dismissing the board of trustees and appointing new members who approved the name change. This obsession, as Salon writer Amanda Marcotte dubbed it, could weaken the MAGA faithful.
She wrote, "The situation is a great example of how narcissists defeat themselves. As he’s done his whole life, Trump stole a trophy he didn’t earn in the hope that he would impress people.
"Instead, his grotesque behavior backfired and has drawn even more insults and rejections. But what’s even more fascinating is what this whole debacle tells us about the MAGA movement as a whole, and how Trump is the perfect symbol for their failed culture war aspirations.
"To people outside the MAGA bubble, Trump’s obsession with the Kennedy Center is just plain weird." Marcotte went on to suggest Trump is simply not happy to be frozen out of "pastimes that bore him."
She added, "This manifestation of his deep psychological issues reflects a major resentment that fuels the larger MAGA movement: anger at the larger culture for not dumbing itself down to placate their own pedestrian tastes and bigoted blind spots."
Even if the Kennedy Center is torn down, renovated, or reopened, Marcotte believes it will have little effect on anyone that is not within MAGA.
She added, "They can’t shut it all down. If anything, the harder they come after people’s entertainment, the bigger the backlash will become. Trump can tear down the Kennedy Center, but it will be a pyrrhic victory at best.
"Most of these artists will just play elsewhere and likely sell more tickets, as fans rally to their side and demonstrate that MAGA will not take away our culture."