Former acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell is stepping down as CEO and executive director of the Trump-Kennedy Center.

Matt Floca, the current vice president of facilities operations, will replace Grenell, subject to approval by the board of directors, President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

“Ric Grenell has done an excellent job in helping to coordinate various elements of the Center during the transition period, and I want to thank him for the outstanding work he has done,” Trump said in the post.

The change in leadership comes as Trump announced last month that the center will close for two years for extensive renovations beginning after July 4, The Daily Wire previously reported.

“THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER will be, at its completion, the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the World!” Trump wrote.

He posted renderings of the renovations to Truth Social yesterday.



Grenell has led the Trump-Kennedy Center for more than a year after Trump overhauled the board and took over as chair. His departure, first reported by Axios, comes as the center has received backlash after changing its lineup, which included ending drag shows for children.

Earlier this year, Philip Glass announced he was canceling the premiere of his latest symphony, scheduled for June, The Daily Wire reported. The composer said the leadership of the center conflicted with the themes of the symphony, which is about Abraham Lincoln.

Roma Daravi, a spokeswoman for the Trump-Kennedy Center, told The Daily Wire that the center aims for unity and celebration of the arts.

“We have no place for politics in the arts, and those calling for boycotts based on politics are making the wrong decision,” Daravi said. “We have not canceled a single show. Leftist activists are pushing artists to cancel but the public wants artists to perform and create—not cancel under pressure from political insiders that benefit from creating division.”

In December, the board voted to change the center’s name to The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, causing mass uproar from leftists.

Artists have canceled shows before and after the name change. Jazz musician Chuck Redd was criticized for canceling his Christmas Eve performance days before it was supposed to take place. The center said they would seek $1 million in damages for the abrupt cancellation, as The Daily Wire previously reported.

Trump was clear there would be changes to the center when he took over as chairman of the board, writing at the time, “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA.”

A man shot and killed by Dallas police during a SWAT standoff this week had previously served as a security guard for Rep. Jasmine Crockett, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

Dallas police tracked the suspect, who went by different aliases — but was going by the name Mike King — to a parking garage at Children’s Medical Center Dallas late Wednesday night, Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said during a press conference Thursday morning.

OIS at 1900 Medical District Drive https://t.co/cWOeKf0akr

— Dallas Police Dept (@DallasPD) March 12, 2026

Officers located the man barricaded inside a vehicle in the garage. After deploying tear gas to force him out, police say the suspect emerged and pointed a gun at SWAT officers.

Officers opened fire, killing the suspect at the scene.

Multiple law enforcement sources have confirmed to CBS News that the suspect had been operating under several aliases and was known publicly as Mike King. He allegedly ran a company called “Off Duty Police Services,” which connected North Texas police officers with off-duty security jobs. The Daily Wire reached out to a company of that name in the Dallas area for comment to confirm the claim, but did not receive a response.

Sources say the man was wanted for allegedly impersonating a law enforcement officer and had claimed to be one while operating the business. Images obtained by reporters show King standing close to Crockett at public events and on the campaign trail during her recent run for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat.

Law enforcement sources also said King oversaw teams of security officers working at several downtown Dallas hotels and events, and that he frequently drove a replica undercover police vehicle. Authorities say the vehicle allegedly used stolen license plates taken from cars outside a military recruiting office.

Federal Election Commission receipts reviewed by The Daily Wire show that a person identified as Mike King received payments from Crockett for “security services” as recently as last year.

Crockett’s office has declined to comment on the situation. The Dallas Police Department has also said it will provide additional information as the investigation continues.

The Texas Democrat, first elected to Congress in 2023, has been a prominent left-wing voice in the House and a frequent critic of Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers.

The incident raises questions about how the suspect, who authorities say had a criminal background and was using multiple aliases, was able to operate a business placing officers in off-duty security work and secure a role providing protection for a sitting member of Congress.