WASHINGTON — President Trump’s supporters are attacking jazz musician Chuck Redd for abruptly canceling an annual Christmas Eve concert in protest of the recently rebranded Trump-Kennedy Center — accusing him of having a “super bad” case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
The drummer and vibraphone player pulled the plug on his “Christmas Eve Jazz Jam” show shortly before guests were due to take their seats, saying in a statement: “When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert.”
Outraged Trump supporters quickly found Redd’s profiles on X and Instagram and let him have it.
“You can cancel your show, but all you’ve accomplished is cancelling yourself,” wrote one of dozens of detractors on X. “The disappointment falls on you, not the Trump-Kennedy Center or the President. You’re just a performer who can easily be replaced.”
“What a piece of garbage,” another vented. “Cancelling a concert because of TDS instead of allowing people to celebrate the holidays and enjoy a performance . I hope everyone that attends any future concerts of yours – chooses the [sic] BOYCOTT YOU.”
A self-described military veteran wrote to Redd that he had “worked for 6 presidents while in uniform. I worked for them all despite my personal feelings about some of them.
“It’s men like you that make this country weak because you took the easy path and the one that gave you the attention you crave. A pathetic man acting like a child.”
The performer found a more balanced reception on Instagram.
“Thank you, Mr. Redd. We need more people of principle, not the sycophants orbiting this administration,” a supporter applauded.
“Merry Christmas!! You are a real one for sticking to your morals and saying no to fascism!” another typed with three heart-shaped emojis.
Many supporters of the president, meanwhile, posted images of Trump’s grinning face.
The board of the now-Trump-Kennedy Center, chaired by the president, voted to rebrand on Dec. 18 in what officials claimed was a unanimous vote — despite ex-officio congressionally appointed Democrats insisting otherwise.
White House Office of Management and Budget general counsel Mark Paoletta clarified this week that “[e]arlier this year, the Board modified the bylaws with a technical amendment to formalize the longstanding practice that ex officio members are non-voting members of the Board.”
“The unanimous vote recognizes that the current Chairman saved the institution from financial ruin and physical destruction. The new Trump Kennedy Center reflects the unequivocal bipartisan support for America’s cultural center for generations to come,” the center said in a statement.
Congress this year allocated $250 million to renovate the sprawling complex at Trump’s urging and he has taken a personal interest in the details of the physical refresh and programming.
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