President Trump’s plans to police DEI language and control the Kennedy Center show an intent to use the government’s enormous coercive power over the cultural sector.

President Donald Trump said Monday he is naming Ric Grenell, a longtime confidant already serving in multiple administration positions, to lead the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on a temporary basis after declaring himself the institution’s chairman late last week.

President Donald Trump named foreign policy adviser and loyalist Richard Grenell interim executive director of the Kennedy Center on Monday, days after appointing himself chair, solidifying his control over the iconic American cultural institution.