President Trump And The Arts
Among the many casualties of a Trump administration will be artists. I’m not talking about federal funding of the arts — that has always been miniscule. I’m talking about the White House as a platform for artists. The Obamas, whether you love, like or loathe them, invited all kinds of artists and entertainers to the White House. They were catholic in their tastes, and joyful in their response to performers. Who will Donnie and Melania invite to the East Room? Ted Nugent? Artists should always be skeptical of power, but that role — and responsibility — just increased enormously. We need to be defiant — and not just amongst ourselves. Defiant in front of the whole world.
