WASHINGTON—Internal documents obtained by The Daily Wire reveal the extent of the deficit spending that occurred at The Kennedy Center under the Biden administration — a scheme that left the performing arts center deep in debt and could open leaders up to potential legal action.
Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell this week told the organization’s board of directors that, under the direction of recently departed president Debra Rutter, the group “found $26 million in phantom revenue, fake revenue.”
“It’s criminal,” Grenell said, adding that “We’re going to refer this to the U.S. attorney’s office.”
Rutter denied the allegations, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2025/05/20/trump-kennedy-center-claims-financial-mismanagement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">telling</a> the Washington Post that she and her leadership team prepared a budget each year that was approved by the board of directors. But in a letter to Grenell obtained by The Daily Wire, Kennedy Center Chief Financial Officer Donna Arduin says that Rutter’s budget claim is irrelevant.
“Budgets and audits are on vastly different timetables and audits do not review the budgeting process,” Arduin wrote. “Audits are released up to a half year after the conclusion of the fiscal year, whereas budgets are approved well in advance of the fiscal year.”
Arduin, known as one of the <a href="https://alec.org/person/donna-arduin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nation’s leading budget experts</a>, came to the Kennedy Center after stints in top roles across the country. She’s been brought in to right the budgets of California under Arnold Schwarzenegger, New York under George Pataki, and Florida under Jeb Bush.
In her months at the Kennedy Center, she determined that Kennedy Center leadership “veiled the fiscal year 2025 budget with $26 million in fictitious revenue and did not properly disclose such to the Board,” according to a letter to Grenell. In short, Arduin writes in the letter, “the Board believed that they were in good faith passing a balanced budget.&#8221;
Additionally, Arduin notes in her letter to Grenell that “under Rutter&#8217;s watch, the Center&#8217;s leadership team changed the name of the debt reserve fund that held $54 million of donor contributions for the retirement of our bank loan to the ‘sustainability fund,’ apparently to appear that new funds had been raised for budget sustainability, and spent it to mask deficits.”
This is the latest revelation of trouble at the Kennedy Center, which has become a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-kennedy-center-is-40-million-in-debt-will-make-major-cuts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flashpoint</a> in the second Trump administration. Trump has pledged to make serious improvements to the performing arts center, repairing its outdated facilities and purging its repertoire of drag shows and other “woke” programming.
Program offerings under former Kennedy Center leadership may have contributed to its dire financial straits. Sources with knowledge of the Center’s financial situation tell The Daily Wire that its programming has a net margin of negative $72 million. Under Grenell, The Kennedy Center is focusing on shows that will sell tickets and appeal to a wider audience.
The Kennedy Center operates on a $230 million annual budget. A portion of its revenue, allocated by Congress, is earmarked for capital costs and facilities maintenance. The remainder of the Center’s money comes from donors.
Sources with knowledge of the Center’s financial situation tell The Daily Wire that, under Rutter’s leadership, the organization raised $250 million and took out a $72 million loan to construct The REACH, a multipurpose space that includes rehearsal rooms, studios, and more.  President Donald Trump has criticized the project, which sources described as the &#8220;passion project&#8221; of Rutter and former Kennedy Center Chairman David Rubenstein, whose portrait adorns the front door of the REACH.
That the Kennedy Center raised and borrowed more than $300 million and did not use it to pay down its debt suggests that previous leadership teams were misguided in their financial priorities.
&#8220;The former leadership built a broken budget with an operating deficit of 100 million dollars and a bottom-line deficit of $26 million,” Arduin told The Daily Wire. “We have now truly balanced the budget.”
In March, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-kennedy-center-is-40-million-in-debt-will-make-major-cuts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Arduin informed staff the Kennedy Center had “no cash to pay our bills.” At the time, Grenell announced that he planned to make staff reductions and slash executive salaries.

The Kennedy Center

Former Kennedy Center Execs Fabricated Financials To Hide Deficit Spending, Internal Docs Show

Donald Trump

Kennedy Center

Richard Grenell

Washington D.C.

Venezuela released U.S. Air Force veteran Joseph St. Clair on Tuesday in a bid to ease tensions with the United States.
St. Clair, 33, boarded a private chartered flight in Antigua and Barbuda and arrived in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/venezuela-frees-u-s-air-force-veteran-in-overture-to-trump-da13eb55" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a>. Richard Grenell, the U.S. envoy for special missions, oversaw the handoff between Venezuelan and U.S. authorities.
Nine other Americans remain in Venezuelan custody. St. Clair and eight of the remaining prisoners were declared wrongfully detained by the U.S. State Department on March 3. The ninth is expected to be designated wrongfully detained soon, WSJ reports.
“Joe St. Clair is back in America,” Grenell posted to social media along with photos of himself and the Air Force veteran. “I met Venezuelan officials in a neutral country today to negotiate an America First strategy. This is only possible because @realDonaldTrump puts Americans first.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Joe St. Clair is back in America. 
I met Venezuelan officials in a neutral country today to negotiate an America First strategy. 
This is only possible because <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> puts Americans first. <a href="https://twitter.com/tsori233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tsori233</a> <a href="https://t.co/BItEnF9Ngg">pic.twitter.com/BItEnF9Ngg</a>
&mdash; Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/status/1924949414763741433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
With St. Clair’s release, Caracas is hoping to placate the Trump administration into allowing Western oil companies to operate in the country, according to WSJ.
After coming into office, the Trump administration moved to pressure Venezuela and its dictator, Nicolas Maduro, by isolating the country economically and sequestering it from the global oil market. In February, Trump revoked a license that allowed Chevron to partner with Venezuela’s state-owned oil company to do business in the country.
Trump later took steps to block other Western oil companies from doing business in the country, as well. The president also <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/24/trump-says-any-country-that-purchases-oil-from-venezuela-will-have-to-pay-25percent-tariff-on-trade-with-us.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threatened</a> to place 25% tariffs on any country that purchases Venezuelan oil.
In recent months, Venezuela has shown more willingness to work with the United States. In addition to releasing St. Clair, Caracas has also accepted a number of deportees back from the United States.
In return, the Trump administration will reportedly delay the final cutoff for Western oil companies to stop doing business in Venezuela.
St. Clair served four tours in Afghanistan. He was honorably discharged in 2019, however struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression while trying to reenter civilian life. He sought treatment in South America, and was arrested by Venezuelan authorities on the border of Venezuela and Columbia in October.

Richard Grenell, Donald Trump

Venezuela Frees U.S. Air Force Veteran In Bid To Ease Tensions With United States

Global Politics

Venezuela

World

The new acting director of The Kennedy Center has responded to reports that employees plan to unionize.
“These people who only now want to speak out and organize were silent while the Center was going into deficit spending,” Richard Grenell said in a statement on the situation, per <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2025/05/15/you_should_be_celebrating_trump_kennedy_center_rolls_eyes_at_union_push__152798.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RealClearPolitics</a>. “They missed their moment but should be celebrating now.”
His remarks come after multiple legacy news outlets reported on the unionization push. The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater/2025/05/15/kennedy-center-union/">reported</a> that it spoke with Kennedy Center employees about their reasoning, who confirmed it was spurred by President Donald Trump taking control of the center and firing the entire board of trustees.
According to newly filed paperwork, the new union will be called the “Kennedy Center United Arts Workers,” and instead of having “at will” employment status, they will be “for cause.” This means instead of being able to be fired at any time for any reason, leadership will be required to prove a reason for any dismissals.
One union organizer told The Post, “Communication from leadership to staff has been reduced to emails that are few and far between,” and claimed they haven’t had any staff meetings.  
“This lack of transparency from leadership has really contributed to a culture of anxiety and uncertainty,” the unnamed person added.
During a visit to the center earlier this year, Trump commented on the state of the building, which first opened to the public in 1971. The president said it was in “tremendous disrepair, as is a lot of the rest of our country — most of it because of bad management,” per the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2025-03-17/trump-visits-kennedy-center-slams-hamilton">Los Angeles Times</a>. Trump also said he was “disappointed” but promised to “do what has to be done” to make things right again.
Trump’s Kennedy Center takeover and shakeup have caused big reactions from leftists. There have been protests, cancellations, and a general aura of doom and gloom, but the venue has been attracting record crowds despite the drama. The Kennedy Center just broke its all-time attendance record for a public event on March 29, welcoming 11,000 attendees, of whom 76% were there for the first time.
This comes after Trump also promised to scrub leftist programs from the Center’s lineup. “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA — ONLY THE BEST,” the president wrote on Truth Social in February.

U.S. Ambassador Grenell At Berlin 4th Of July

Kennedy Center Director Ric Grenell Says Staff Planning To Unionize ‘Should Be Celebrating’ Instead

Kennedy Center Director Reacts To Employees Plan To Unionize: 'You Should Be Celebrating'

General

Politics

Ric Grenell

Unions

Kennedy Center director Richard Grenell has issued a strongly worded response to reports that around a dozen actors from a “Les Misérables” tour group are planning to boycott an upcoming performance at the facility because President Donald Trump is expected to attend.
“We haven’t heard this rumor,” Grenell told Entertainment Weekly in a <a href="https://ew.com/kennedy-center-boss-calls-out-les-mis-actors-over-trump-performance-11730526">statement</a> on Wednesday. “But the Kennedy Center will no longer fund intolerance.”
“Any performer who isn’t professional enough to perform for patrons of all backgrounds, regardless of political affiliation, won’t be welcomed,” Grenell added. “In fact, we think it would be important to out those vapid and intolerant artists to ensure producers know who they shouldn’t hire — and that the public knows which shows have political litmus tests to sit in the audience.”
“The Kennedy Center wants to be a place where people of all political stripes sit next to each other and never ask who someone voted for but instead enjoy a performance together,” he concluded.
Grenell was responding to a CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/07/politics/kennedy-center-les-mis-cast-boycott-trump">report</a> citing sources claiming that “Les Mis” cast members were allowed to boycott the June 11 performance because of Trump. The outlet didn’t name any names, but said “both major cast members and members of the ensemble are among those sitting out,” per their sources.
The Kennedy Center has been in the news lately following Trump’s election and his subsequent move to fire all former leadership and appoint himself Chairman of the Board, plus installing Grenell as interim director. 
There have been protests, cancellations, and general doom and gloom from leftists, but despite their reactions, the venue has been attracting record crowds. The Kennedy Center just broke its all-time attendance record for a public event it hosted on March 29, welcoming 11,000 attendees, of whom 76% were there for the first time.
This comes after Trump promised to scrub leftist programs from the Center’s lineup. “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA — ONLY THE BEST,” the president wrote on Truth Social in February. 
“At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., GREAT AGAIN,” Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-dumps-kennedy-center-board-puts-immediate-end-to-drag-shows-for-kids">wrote</a> in another post. “Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP.”

Mike Pompeo Visits Germany

Kennedy Center Director Rips ‘Les Mis’ Cast Over Trump Boycott: ‘Vapid And Intolerant’

Kennedy Center Director Rips 'Les Mis' Cast Over Trump Boycott: 'Vapid And Intolerant'

Theater

President and Interim Executive Director of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Richard Grenell called out The Associated Press for allegedly lying about an event getting canceled. 
“The [AP] lied,” he shared in a tweet on Monday. “And &#8230; [The Advocate] has been forced to tell the truth. We didn’t cancel a single show at the Kennedy Center. We simply ask that shows don’t lose money and leave us with the bill,” he added, including the hashtag “CommonSense.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The <a href="https://twitter.com/AP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AP</a> lied. 
And the <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAdvocateMag?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAdvocateMag</a> has been forced to tell the truth. 
We didn’t cancel a single show at the Kennedy Center. 
We simply ask that shows don’t lose money and leave us with the bill. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CommonSense?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CommonSense</a> <a href="https://t.co/AVkNK5CPJO">https://t.co/AVkNK5CPJO</a>
&mdash; Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/status/1919447515578921405?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Per <a href="https://www.advocate.com/news/worldpride-venue-changes-explained">The Advocate</a>, Capital Pride Alliance canceled their event at The Kennedy Center voluntarily, which is different from the story published in AP.
The outlet noted that a display of panels including the display of an AIDS Memorial Quilt and a Drag Story Hour have been relocated to WorldPride Welcome Center in D.C.
Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director Ryan Bos told The Advocate that they changed venues because of the “inhospitable” environment at The Kennedy Center.
“We would not be allowed to have any official drag programming,” Bos said. “That defeats the purpose of Pride — in terms of creating a welcoming and safe environment for anybody to feel comfortable being their true, authentic self, which is what Pride’s about.”
Bos continued, saying, “If someone doesn’t feel comfortable being their true, authentic self, then that’s not the venue or space where we want to have an event.”
In response to the accusations, a rep from The Kennedy Center told The Daily Wire, “We would have worked with them on a program.”
Meanwhile, the AP story published April 25 said that “organizers and the Kennedy Center have canceled a week’s worth of events,” with some artists and producers allegedly telling the outlet that their Pride-related programs were dropped. So far, the outlet has not issued a statement or published a correction to the original piece.
The Kennedy Center has been in the news ever since President Trump took office and promised major reforms, including firing the entire board, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dolly-parton-show-heads-to-kennedy-center-as-they-usher-in-golden-age-of-the-arts">reported</a>.
“At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., GREAT AGAIN,” Trump wrote on social media in February. “Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP.”
The changes made by the new board led to full-scale meltdowns on the Left, including protests expressed through interpretive dancing. But their protests haven’t made much of a difference. The Kennedy Center just broke its all-time attendance record for a public event it hosted on March 29, welcoming 11,000 attendees, of whom 76% were there for the first time.

Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell: ‘The AP Lied,’ Venue Didn’t Cancel Events

Media

Pride

U.S.

Longtime Trump ally and U.S. envoy for special missions Richard Grenell said he would consider running for California governor if Kamala Harris launches a campaign, stirring fresh speculation about a Republican challenge in the deep-blue state.
Grenell, a longtime Trump adviser who served as ambassador to Germany and as acting director of national intelligence, pointed to the weakness of a rumored Harris gubernatorial campaign after her substantial defeat to Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
“If Kamala Harris runs for governor, I believe that she has such baggage and hundreds of millions of dollars in educating the voters of how terrible she is, that it’s a new day in California, and that the Republican actually has a shot, and I wouldn’t say no,” Grenell told reporters in Munich.
Grenell previously explored a gubernatorial bid in 2021 but did not file before the deadline. He has since remained active in the Golden State, launching a nonprofit called Fix California to change the state&#8217;s leftist political landscape.
Harris carried California by more than 20 points in 2024.
Grenell has held multiple posts under President Trump, notably traveling on special assignments abroad. During one such trip, he met with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and helped secure the release of six hostages.
In California, he has appeared alongside local leaders to survey wildfire damage in Los Angeles County and examine restoration efforts, maintaining a steady presence as discussions around a potential gubernatorial bid continue.
Harris, who served as vice president until her term ended last month, has kept her intentions close to the vest despite multiple appearances across Los Angeles. She has only briefly alluded to any future plans, brushing off direct questions about a statewide run.
Still, according to POLITICO, she has privately <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/14/richard-grenell-kamala-harris-california-governor-00204330">indicated</a> to aides that running for California’s highest office is a possibility.

Key Speakers At Conservative Political Action Conference

Trump Official Might Run For California Governor If Kamala Enters The Race

2026 Midterms

California

Elections

Kamala Harris

President Donald Trump&#8217;s envoy for special missions <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/richard-grenell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Richard Grenell</a> secured the release of six Americans from socialist Venezuela on Friday after being sent there to force them to take back illegal aliens from their country.
&#8220;We are wheels up and headed home with these 6 American citizens,&#8221; Grenell wrote in a post on X late on Friday. &#8220;They just spoke to @realDonaldTrump and they couldn’t stop thanking him.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We are wheels up and headed home with these 6 American citizens.
They just spoke to <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> and they couldn’t stop thanking him. <a href="https://t.co/sCvCO4HQQv">pic.twitter.com/sCvCO4HQQv</a>
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/status/1885482064050610536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
Trump said Saturday morning that it was &#8220;so good to have the Venezuela Hostages back home and, very important to note, that Venezuela has agreed to receive, back into their Country, all Venezuela illegal aliens who were encamped in the U.S., including gang members of Tren de Aragua.&#8221;
The identities of the six Americans who were released were not immediately known.
&#8220;Venezuela has further agreed to supply the transportation back,&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;We are in the process of removing record numbers of illegal aliens from all Countries, and all Countries have agreed to accept these illegal aliens back.&#8221;
&#8220;Furthermore, record numbers of criminals are being removed from our Country, and the Border numbers are the strongest they have been since the First Term of the Trump Administration!&#8221; he added.

Trump Envoy Richard Grenell Gets 6 American Hostages Released From Venezuela

Hostages

Nicolas Maduro

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Saturday night that he has selected former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell to serve as his Presidential Envoy for Special Missions.
Grenell, a favorite among Trump&#8217;s most diehard supporters, served during his first term in office as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany and subsequently as the head of ODNI. He also served as Trump&#8217;s Presidential Envoy for Kosovo-Serbia Negotiations.
&#8220;Ric will work in some of the hottest spots around the World, including Venezuela and North Korea,&#8221; Trump said in a statement.
&#8220;Previously, he spent eight years inside the United Nations Security Council, working with North Korea, and developments in numerous other Countries,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Ric will continue to fight for Peace through Strength, and always put AMERICA FIRST.&#8221;
Grenell earned his B.A. from Evangel College and his M.P.A from Harvard.
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The 58-year-old cancer survivor is well liked among Republicans because of his pugilistic style of politics in which he ruthlessly seeks to advance Trump&#8217;s agenda.
However, foreign nations, in particular Germany, were apparently not fans of his blunt style as he pushed them outside of their comfort zone to advance the U.S.&#8217;s interests.
&#8220;Richard Grenell is a superstar,&#8221; Trump said in 2020 when speaking of the job Grenell did in his administration. &#8220;He had guts, he had courage to do what he did. Richard Grenell has done one of the best jobs I&#8217;ve ever seen.&#8221;

2024 Republican National Convention: Day 3

Trump Taps Grenell To Be His Envoy For Special Missions

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Joe Biden</a>’s prime-time speech Thursday night, which featured a blood-red backdrop and a grim warning about the endangered “soul of America,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-slammed-across-political-spectrum-for-optics-of-divisive-speech-satanic-ghoul" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drew fierce reactions online</a>, with critics branding the content divisive and the theatrics just plain weird.
Biden, who framed the upcoming midterm elections as a fight between good and evil, stood flanked by U.S. Marines outside <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/philadelphia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia</a>’s Independence Hall. Unusual red lighting cast a fiery glow on the brick building as Biden railed against supporters of former President Trump, who he said have taken over the Republican Party.
“MAGA Republicans have made their choice,” Biden declared. “They embrace anger. They thrive on chaos. They live not in the light of truth, but in the shadow of lies. Together, we can choose a different path.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
That was the most demagogic, outrageous, and divisive speech I have ever seen from an American president. Joe Biden essentially declared all those who oppose him and his agenda enemies of the republic. Truly shameful. <a href="https://t.co/ZcJX2BbZlt">pic.twitter.com/ZcJX2BbZlt</a>
&mdash; Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1565539785468514306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Critics called the speech divisive, but the strange stagecraft prompted equal outrage. The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro called the speech “the most demagogic, outrageous, and divisive speech I have ever seen from an American president,” and posted a screenshot of Biden with his clenched fists raised and face contorted with passion.
“This image is the worst piece of presidential optics I have ever seen,” Shapiro wrote. “Let us count the reasons. 1. Lighting a historic American site — the site of our founding documents — blood red. 2. The red-and-black background against the front-lit visage of a grim old man screaming at Americans, fists clenched.”
Former ambassador to Germany and Trump&#8217;s acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell said Biden’s over-the-top condemnation of Trump supporters, who numbered 74 million in the 2020 election, was telling.
&#8220;This blood red setting and negative complaining about political opponents means one thing — Joe Biden is really nervous that Donald Trump is going to run again,” Grenell tweeted.
Former Trump White House press secretary and current Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany branded the background demonic and the rhetoric divisive.
&#8220;Standing in front of a hellish red background Biden called half the country, the MAGA Republicans &#8216;threats&#8217; &amp; &#8216;clear and present dangers,'&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/kayleighmcenany/status/1565496848160366592?s=20&amp;t=lOWpfgKEb5qBP4Z0tgbwow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">McEnany tweeted</a>. &#8220;Then he says, &#8217;empathy is the fuel of democracy-the willingness to see each other not as enemies but as fellow Americans…&#8217;!!!&#8221;
Biden has stepped up his rhetoric against political opponents in recent days, branding Trump supporters as &#8220;semi-fascists.&#8221; The White House insisted that his criticisms were not directed at all Republicans, although in the past, <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2021/10/26/biden_warns_at_mcauliffe_rally_extremism_can_come_in_a_smile_and_a_fleece_vest.html#!" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden has called moderate Republicans</a> such as Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin extremists.
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Biden has contributed mightily to division in America, and put his opponents&#8217; safety in jeopardy.
&#8220;Joe Biden&#8217;s wretched attacks on millions of Americans have fueled attacks on pregnancy centers, Republican offices, and an assassination attempt on a Supreme Court Justice,&#8221; McDaniel said. &#8220;His agenda has pitted neighbors against each other, rewarded the wealthy while punishing working families, and trampled on the rights and freedoms of Americans. Joe Biden is the divider-in-chief and epitomizes the current state of the Democrat Party: one of divisiveness, disgust, and hostility towards half the country.&#8221;

Joe Biden

‘Grim Old Man Screaming’: Ben Shapiro, Others React To Biden’s Dark Speech Before Eerie Red Backdrop

Biden's Fiery Speech, Unusual Backdrop Draw Fierce Reaction Online

Ben Shapiro

MAGA

Philadelphia

As soon as Democrat Joe Biden announced he would nominate South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, media outlets rushed to hail the choice as a historic occasion for LGBT individuals.
Numerous outlets, including <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/biden-picks-pete-buttigieg-for-transport-secretary-the-first-openly-gay-cabinet-member-12163657">Sky News</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/15/us/politics/pete-buttigieg-biden-transportation-secretary.html">The New York Times</a>, and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/12/16/what-biden-team-can-learn-buttigieg-pick/">The Washington Post</a>, reported that Buttigieg would be the first “openly gay man” to hold a Cabinet post. Except, Buttigieg would not be the first “openly gay” cabinet member, as that honor already belongs to Richard Grenell, who was appointed by President Donald Trump in February to serve as the acting director of national intelligence.
Some of the same outlets touting Buttigieg as the first openly gay cabinet member previously reported that Grenell was the first. The Times in February <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/19/us/politics/dni-national-intelligence-director-grenell.html">reported</a> that “Mr. Grenell, who has pushed <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/20/world/europe/grenell-homosexuality-decriminalize-.html">to advance gay rights</a> in his current post, is also thought to be the first openly gay cabinet member.” The Times on Tuesday reported that “Mr. Buttigieg would bring a younger voice to the cabinet and add to its diversity as its first openly gay member.”
Several LGBT-focused news outlets made the same error. Greg Price noted on Twitter that Queerty and Pink News both reported Buttigieg as the first gay cabinet member after saying the same of Grenell earlier this year.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Lmao you can’t make it up <a href="https://t.co/CVROVYKYFR">pic.twitter.com/CVROVYKYFR</a>
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1339061314761744384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2020</a></blockquote>
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On February 20, Queerty tweeted: “Trump makes Richard Grenell first openly gay cabinet secretary in history.” On December 15, the same outlet tweeted: “Pete Buttigieg makes history as first out Cabinet member.”
To be clear, Buttigieg is not a cabinet member. Biden has merely said he would nominate him to be one.
Pink News tweeted on February 20: “Donald Trump just appointed his first openly gay cabinet member.” On November 9, the outlet tweeted: “Joe Biden ‘almost certain’ to make Pete Buttigieg America’s first out gay cabinet official.”
Some outlets at least noted the distinction that, if confirmed, Buttigieg would be the first “senate-confirmed” openly gay cabinet member. Grenell was not confirmed by the senate to be Acting-DNI chief, though he was confirmed by the senate when he was nominated to be the U.S. Ambassador to Germany.
NPR included this distinction when it <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/biden-transition-updates/2020/12/15/946792796/biden-names-former-rival-buttigieg-as-transportation-secretary">wrote</a> about Biden’s announcement regarding Buttigieg.
“Buttigieg would become the first openly gay Cabinet member to be confirmed by the Senate. Richard Grenell, who is also openly gay, temporarily served as acting director of national intelligence in the Trump administration but was not confirmed for the post,” the outlet reported.
Neither the Times nor the Post even mentioned Grenell in their articles about Buttigieg, even though they claimed the Indiana mayor would be the first openly gay man in a cabinet position. The Post, for example, simply said Buttigieg would be the first without any caveats about being senate-confirmed.
“Certainly, another “first” — an openly gay man holding a Cabinet post — explains part of the appeal,” the outlet reported.

Pete Buttigieg and Ric Grenell

Media Claim Pete Buttigieg Appointment Would Make Him First Openly Gay Cabinet Member, Forget Richard Grenell

LGBTQ

Pete Buttigieg

With the presidential election approaching and celebrities continuing to weigh in on the state of the country, Grammy-winning singer Kacey Musgraves has also decided to lend her voice to the anti-Trump movement.
In a tweet on Friday evening, Musgraves shared an image with a rainbow-colored background and a declaration that anyone planning to vote for President Donald Trump in November is actually committing a form of violence against the LGBT community.
“If you love an LGBTQ+ person and you’re planning on voting for Donald Trump in November, that’s an act of violence against them,” she said.
Former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, who was also the first openly gay cabinet member in the Trump administration, hammered Musgraves for tokenizing people on behalf of the Left.
“Twitter should ban this piece of fake news. This isn’t remotely correct. Stop making gay rights a partisan issue, Kacey! You aren’t helping gay people one bit,” Grenell responded in his own tweet. “We aren’t tokens.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Twitter should ban this piece of fake news. This isn’t remotely correct.
Stop making gay rights a partisan issue, Kacey! You aren’t helping gay people one bit.
We aren’t tokens. <a href="https://twitter.com/getoutspoken20?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@getoutspoken20</a> <a href="https://t.co/acaGAfJJnK">https://t.co/acaGAfJJnK</a>
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/status/1299804653077499904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
When Grenell was ambassador to Germany, he spearheaded a global effort to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-launches-effort-end-criminalization-hank-berrien">end the criminalization of homosexuality</a> in 70 countries, including in the handful of countries where homosexuality is punishable by death.
“Barbaric public executions are all too common in a country where consensual homosexual relationships are criminalized and punishable by flogging and death,” Grenell, then the ambassador to Germany, wrote in the <a href="https://www.bild.de/politik/kolumnen/kolumne/ambassador-grenell-the-hanging-of-a-gay-man-in-iran-should-be-a-wakeup-call-59900136.bild.html">German newspaper</a> Bild, after a 31-year-old gay man was hanged in Iran.
Grenell also argued that “politicians, the U.N., democratic governments, diplomats and good people everywhere should speak up — and loudly” against such policies.
Prior to Grenell’s departure from the Trump administration, <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2020/03/06/the-historic-lgbt-trump-appointment-that-got-overshadowed/">the Brookings Institute</a>, a left-leaning think tank, argued that the historic nature of his appointment had been overshadowed in media coverage over concerns that he was a “political loyalist.”
Back in 2018, when then-Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo was undergoing the confirmation process, he told Senate lawmakers: “I deeply believe that LGBTQ persons have every right that every other person in the world would have,&#8221; as The Daily Wire previously reported.
In attacking the Trump administration as anti-LGBT, many Democrats will cite the conservative opposition to the Equality Act last year. However, as written, the Equality Act would have prohibited loosely defined public accommodations from discriminating on the basis of “sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity,” with no room for any religious exceptions. 
As <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/05/20/lgbtq-equality-act-fails-fair-religious-freedom-provisions-accommodation-column/3731197002/">USA Today</a> contributor Brad Polumbo noted of the Equality Act in an opinion column last year: &#8220;Our laws can mandate that secular employers and public venues treat LGBT people fairly, yet also maintain exceptions for bona fide religious claims. This is what true equality would look like — and notably, you won’t find it anywhere in the so-called Equality Act.&#8221;

Singer Kacey Musgraves Says It’s An ‘Act Of Violence’ Against LGBT People To Vote Trump; Richard Grenell Responds.

2020 Election

Former U.S. Ambassador and Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell slammed the Obama-Biden administration during his Republican National Convention speech on Wednesday night, saying that what he saw in his role as acting DNI made him sick to his stomach.
&#8220;Don’t be fooled—the Washington establishment is trying to sell you on their candidate,&#8221; Grenell said. “Joe Biden was first elected to the Senate in 1972—48 years ago. It’s actually the typical Washington story. Just this year, 22 Democrats ran for President. They rejected all of the outsiders, and nominated the ultimate Washington insider—someone they had to pull out of retirement.&#8221;
&#8220;Every time Joe Biden offers a new idea, you should ask yourself: &#8216;Why didn’t he try that over the last 48 years?'&#8221; Grenell said. &#8220;Today, the Democrats blame a global pandemic that started in China on President Trump. And they still blame Russia for Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016.&#8221;
&#8220;As Acting Director of National Intelligence, I saw the Democrats’ entire case for Russian collusion,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And what I saw made me sick to my stomach. The Obama-Biden administration secretly launched a surveillance operation on the Trump campaign and silenced the many brave intelligence officials who spoke up against it. They presented bogus information as facts. They lied to judges. Then they classified anything that undermined their case.&#8221;
&#8220;And after Donald Trump won the election, when they should have continued the American tradition of helping the president-elect transition into the White House, they tried instead to undercut him even more,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Former Vice President Joe Biden asked intelligence officials to uncover the hidden information on President Trump’s incoming national security advisor three weeks before the Inauguration.&#8221;
&#8220;That’s the Democrats,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Between surveillance, classifications, leaks, and puppet candidates, they never want the American people to know who’s actually calling the shots.&#8221;
WATCH:
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TRANSCRIPT:
<blockquote>Good evening. During the Presidential primary debates four years ago, one outsider stood alone and said in public what most Americans thought in private.
It was 14 years after the start of the War in Afghanistan, and 12 years after the invasion of Iraq, where thousands of American troops had died, and trillions in taxpayer dollars had been spent.
And yet no candidate could bring themselves to admit that something had gone badly wrong with American foreign policy. That the American voter, the American soldier, and the American taxpayer, had all been let down.
Except for one—Donald Trump. He called America’s endless wars what they were: a disaster.
The media was shocked because Donald Trump was running as a Republican. And yet he said out loud what we all knew—that American foreign policy was failing to make Americans safer.
After the end of the Cold War, Democrats and Republicans in Washington bought into the illusion that the whole world would start to resemble America, and so they started to pursue unlimited globalization.
They welcomed China into the World Trade Organization. They engaged in “nation-building” in Afghanistan, and tried to export democracy to Iraq. They signed a nuclear deal with Iran, and a global climate agreement in Paris.
But they didn’t ground any of it in the interests of the average American.
So for decades, while Washington politicians built a global system, American wages stagnated. Our great cities and industries were hollowed out. Entire communities were devastated, and our manufacturing plants were shipped off to China.
That’s what happened when Washington stopped being the capital of the United States, and started being the capital of the world.
As U.S. Ambassador to Germany, I had a front row seat to Donald Trump’s America First foreign policy. I wish every American could see how President Trump negotiates on their behalf.
I’ve watched President Trump charm the Chancellor of Germany, while insisting that Germany pay its NATO obligations. I was proud to witness President Trump say to foreign leaders: “I don’t blame you for wanting America to pay for your security. I actually respect you for out-negotiating the Presidents before me. But it stops with me. I won’t let the American taxpayer be taken advantage of.”
Donald Trump’s Administration has always made clear that our priority is the American people’s security.
That’s the job of all leaders—to put their people first.
And we’ve seen how this strategy has succeeded. In four short years, Donald Trump has led even some Washington Democrats to agree on the Chinese threat; on trade deals that benefit Americans first; on alliances that share responsibility.
In four years, Donald Trump didn’t start any new wars. He brought troops home. He rebuilt the military, and signed peace deals that make Americans safer.
The Washington elites want you to think this kind of foreign policy is immoral. And so they call it “nationalist.”
That tells you all you need to know. The D.C. crowd thinks when they call Donald Trump a nationalist, they’re insulting him.
As if the American president isn’t supposed to base foreign policy on America’s national interests!
A return to the Biden way of thinking means America gives the radical terrorist regime in Tehran a plane load of cash in the middle of the night.
You see, President Trump also sent an aircraft in the middle of night to deal with Iran. But that plane was on a different mission—an air strike to take out the head of Iran’s terror machine who plotted the deaths of Americans.
But we also must be clear that when those who seek freedom take tremendous personal risk in places like Hong Kong, Tehran, or Minsk, there is no doubt who President Trump’s Administration supports. We will always stand with the people who fight for their God-given freedoms.
Don’t be fooled—the Washington establishment is trying to sell you on their candidate.
Joe Biden was first elected to the Senate in 1972. Forty-eight years ago.
It’s actually the typical Washington story. Just this year, 22 Democrats ran for President. They rejected all of the outsiders, and nominated the ultimate Washington insider—someone they had to pull out of retirement.
Every time Joe Biden offers a new idea, you should ask yourself: “Why didn’t he try that over the last 48 years?”
Today, the Democrats blame a global pandemic that started in China on President Trump. And they still blame Russia for Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016.
As Acting Director of National Intelligence, I saw the Democrats’ entire case for Russian collusion—and what I saw made me sick to my stomach. The Obama-Biden administration secretly launched a surveillance operation on the Trump campaign and silenced the many brave intelligence officials who spoke up against it. They presented bogus information as facts. They lied to judges. Then they classified anything that undermined their case.
And after Donald Trump won the election, when they should have continued the American tradition of helping the president-elect transition into the White House, they tried instead to undercut him even more.
Former Vice President Joe Biden asked intelligence officials to uncover the hidden information on President Trump’s incoming national security advisor three weeks before the Inauguration.
That’s the Democrats. Between surveillance, classifications, leaks, and puppet candidates, they never want the American people to know who’s actually calling the shots.
But with Donald Trump, you always know exactly who is in charge.
Because the answer…is you.
You’re in charge. Not lobbyists. Not special interests. Not warmongers, or China sympathizers, or globalization fanatics.
With Donald Trump and Mike Pence in the White House, the boss is the American people.
President Trump rightly calls his foreign policy “America First.”
America First does not advance the interests of one group of Americans at the expense of another. It has no bias about red or blue, educated or not educated, urban or rural.
America First is simply the belief that politicians should focus on the equality and dignity of every American, and that this duty is fulfilled by promoting the safety and wealth of the American people above all else.
That’s America First. That’s the Trump Doctrine. And that, my friends, is four more years.
God bless the United States of America.</blockquote>

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Grenell Hammers Obama-Biden Admin: What I Saw As Acting DNI ‘Made Me Sick To My Stomach’

Republican National Convention

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