The public has been fuming in the wrath of President Donald Trump and his takeover since entering his second term last year.
He cut jobs and funding, fired former friends, and continues to lead the conflict in Iran—even after claiming it would be over weeks ago.
But now he has angered supporters of the historic building he put his name on just a few months ago.
One insider is now speaking out against Trump’s takeover.
The former reality TV star cleaned house last year when he fired the performing arts center’s board and replaced them with his allies.
He then made himself CEO of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and pushed the board to vote in favor of adding his name to the building, which honors John F. Kennedy.
A name change ostensibly requires the permission of Congress, but Trump bypassed the process and announced a two-year closure of the center for renovations, prompting to at least 100 layoffs.
However, the center’s former curator, Josef Palermo, says that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Trump: "We're building an arch, a triumphal arch, which will be incredible for the city. We're fixing up what was the Kennedy Center. I was honored when the board changed the name a little bit. We're gonna open it with a bang in less than two years." pic.twitter.com/NLPrQBEmSL
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 26, 2026
The former Kennedy Center curator wrote a piece titled, “What I Saw Inside the Kennedy Center” for The Atlantic, and Palermo revealed that things at the performing arts center are “far worse than the public knows.”
Many employees expected to keep their jobs until July, but the company laid them off on March 26 instead.
Palermo also sat down for an interview with PBS News, where he revealed other shady dealings since Trump took over.
The artist said that the fundraising tactics used for Trump’s Kennedy Center were “bizarre” and meant to get donors
Palermo claimed that tickets for the musical “Les Misérables” was selling for $2 million.
The reward? Being near Trump’s box as well as a VIP invite.
“A lot of that seemed to be positioning the proximity of the president and his chairmanship of the Kennedy Center and essentially selling access to that through things like the preview event of ‘Les Misérables,’ the curator revealed.
Palermo added that tickets on the orchestra level were going for six figures “just because it was in the same room as the president for that performance.”
DC resident on Trump putting his name on the Kennedy Center:
— FactPost (@factpostnews) December 19, 2025
"We should all be shocked that a convicted felon, a thug, and by all means a grifter has just stuck his name on top of a national monument." pic.twitter.com/hzNcucRha5
He said during an MS Now interview, “I remember thinking that was strange.”
They told Palermo to get rid of everything to make room for new art.
She also noticed that priceless art had gone missing.
The missing pieces included works from the African Room, which displayed art from at least 30 African nations
“There was a sculpture from Ghana that represented the collective Africans’ grief at the assassination of President Kennedy,” he said.
“And there were ornate hand-carved wooden doors carved from 700-year-old wood that contained scenes of Yoruban village life. That room is now completely gutted and emptied. I was not told where those items went.”
Palermo said he spoke out because he believes art institutions should never be politicized and called on Congress to act.
“I’m coming forward as a whistle-blower because I’m calling on Congress to enact some kind of a firewall to prevent this from ever happening again,” he added.
“And I believe that that should be a bipartisan effort.”
Unless the courts intervene, the Kennedy Center will shut down this July for two years, as part of a roughly $250 million renovation. In the lead-up, there’s been a wave of layoffs and a controversial rebranding under President Trump’s allies.
— PBS News (@NewsHour) April 17, 2026
Josef Palermo was among those laid… pic.twitter.com/w46rgaku9c
Viewers dragged Donald Trump after the interview went viral on social media, angered by the chilling list of artifacts that have vanished into thin air.
One X user wondered if the missing art would end up in the twice-impeached president’s home.
“How much of this missing artwork will show up at Mar-a-Lago and the homes of Trump’s buddies and donors?”
“Sick these tickets keep going up,” wrote another user. “I need them to go back down. This should be illegal!” “So sad. The Africa Room was spectacular,” added another.
Skepticism came as one person alleged, “I saw this man interviewed yesterday. He was most forthcoming and truthful! It is outrageous what Trump has done to this once beautiful centre!”
Palermo added that the new leadership at Trump’s Kennedy Center was full of “incompetence.”
She suggested that they did not have arts or management experience.
Trump’s renovation projects have also made the Kennedy family furious.
Maria Shriver and her nephew previously blasted Trump online.
Critics demanded action to stop Donald Trump from destroying history.
Former Kennedy Center board of trustees member Rep. Joyce Beatty has called Trump’s actions unlawful.
She plans to stop things from getting worse. She has filed a federal lawsuit to block the two-year shutdown and is also seeking to have his name removed from the building.
