After spending a decade in the realms of politics and government, President Joe Biden appointed me in 2022 to the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts, a board associated with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts — the foremost performing arts center and a key cultural institution in America.
When President Donald Trump recently made headlines by taking a personal role in the Kennedy Center, I quickly recognized the potential dangers his involvement poses to American democracy, given the importance of this cultural landmark.
Despite not attending any of the Kennedy Center’s high-profile events during his first term or later, Trump appointed himself Chairman of the Board on Wednesday, vowing to launch a “Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”
While this move might seem insignificant in light of his attempts to reshape the federal workforce, dismantle several government agencies, and transport migrants to Guantanamo Bay, Trump’s focus on the arts should alarm us all.
The 2024 campaign showcased the Trump team’s adept use of the president’s cultural influence and performance skills across various entertainment platforms. From his notable appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” to behind-the-scenes campaign videos, lengthy livestreams, and engagement with UFC, Trump’s media endeavors have produced extraordinary results. Beyond merely winning the election, he has transformed his status from a cultural outsider in 2016 to a prominent figure within a new celebrity ecosystem, securing collaboration with major content distribution executives.
Throughout the eight years between Trump’s first and second successful campaigns, the conservative movement has heavily invested in reshaping the landscape of American culture. This has shifted our cultural environment from the diverse progressivism of the Obama era to a proliferation of MAGA podcasters, traditionalist influencers, and hypermasculine content creators, all actively promoting a distinctly autocratic set of values.
However, internet fame is fundamentally different from the institutional respect associated with the Kennedy Center Honors or the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Our most powerful cultural institutions do not merely reflect culture; they play a crucial role in shaping it. They set the standards for acceptable discourse, defining what is considered valuable and reasonable in American society. Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center signifies the formalization of the cultural transformation he has been orchestrating since his memorable descent down the Trump Tower escalator.
This cultural shift becomes especially vital as his administration’s cuts to government services and infrastructure start affecting everyday life. By crafting cultural narratives that frame adversity as a necessary sacrifice, Trump could potentially insulate himself and his congressional counterparts from electoral repercussions. In a post on Truth Social regarding his intended tariff actions, he outlined this very narrative, asserting that any consumer cost hikes stem from the necessities of a great nation rather than misguided trade policies.
“WILL THERE BE SOME PAIN? YES, MAYBE (AND MAYBE NOT!). BUT WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, AND IT WILL ALL BE WORTH THE PRICE THAT MUST BE PAID,” he stated.
Recent research underscores the essential role of entertainment in shaping public perceptions. As per Nielsen’s 2023 “State of Streaming” report, the average American consumes nearly six hours of video content each day. Trump allegedly watches at least four hours of television daily and has instructed his close aides to treat each day as if it were a TV show in which he triumphs over his adversaries. Meanwhile, Democratic strategists who dismiss Trump supporters as “low-information voters” overlook a crucial fact: all content conveys information. Instead of focusing exclusively on policy analyses and traditional journalism, progressive investors and media donors should explore opportunities in entertainment that reinforces democratic ideals to reconnect with voters they have lost over the years.
Polling data from the Pew Research Center reveals that a significant majority of Americans remain opposed to authoritarianism (68 percent) and express trepidation regarding Project 2025, the ultra-conservative policy blueprint for Trump’s second term, which he appears to be adhering to closely. However, sustaining and amplifying this opposition necessitates an acknowledgment that we are engaged in a cultural civil war — one that spans entertainment platforms and cultural institutions, from streaming services to the Kennedy Center itself.
If President Trump succeeds in capturing and reshaping the American cultural narrative alongside our institutions, we risk losing the tools required to uphold or, in a probable scenario, restore democratic norms. The way forward will involve engaging people where they are, providing not just policy papers, but also compelling cultural narratives that champion pluralistic ideals. This requires training candidates to become more compelling, internet-savvy communicators and investing in entertainment that endorses democratic principles.
The struggle for America’s future will be fought not solely at the polls but across TV and phone screens, on stages, in concert venues, and within cultural institutions nationwide.
Carri Twigg is co-founder of Culture House Media, co-host of the politics and culture podcast Twigg and Jenkins, and a former member of the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts, a board of the Kennedy Center.
