Trump II, the digital Caligula, continued his battle with Carlyle Group co-founder and Declaration Partners founder David Rubenstein. Trump replaced Rubenstein as Chair of The Kennedy Center. Rubenstein is a former regent of The Smithsonian and supporter of current Chancellor Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
Trump has asked the Smithsonian to offer "unifying, historically accurate and constructive descriptions" of events at various displays. That is odd given Trump's divisive, destructive and historically unanchored persona.
Mr. Rubenstein may wish to fund an Epstein exhibit replete with documents from Trump's Epstein collection at the "Just Us" department.
Trump II has been the only docent/curator of those files who promised to share them with the American public. The Smithsonian would be the perfect place given the widespread bipartisan interest in the Epstein files (unifying). As they were seized from Epstein's various estates they should be historically accurate. And what's more constructive than giving the people what they want?
Rubenstein did not fund Jeffrey Epstein but a fellow private equity underwriter (PEU) did to the tune of $170 million (Apollo's Leon Black).
Both Trump (WLFI) and Rubenstein (Paxos) think people want crypto. That's the subject of a future Smithsonian exhibit, possibly titled "Something from Nothing." Hopefully, it will be next to the Epstein Hall of Horrors.
Update 8-13-25: Trump announced this year's Kennedy Center Awards and that he would host the event himself.
Historically, honorees have been picked by a bipartisan committee. In a press conference announcing this year’s group, Trump said he was “about 98% involved” in the selection process and that he “turned down plenty” of candidates for being “too woke.”
Trump :
(fired) the center’s previous chairman (David Rubenstein) and members of its board of trustees who, he said, “do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”
Rubenstein knows about the Gilded Age, back in force for billionaire PEUs and their new TechGod/CryptoBro brethren.
Trump knows about the Golden Arches Age with his love of fast food.
U.S. Arts and Culture are back to the Dark, Dank Ages. I'm still cheering for an Epstein exhibit and maybe the Trump/Kennedy Centers can offer new Jeffrey Epstein Awards.