From a Kennedy Center makeover to crypto sweepstakes: How Trump is rewiring Washington access

There are more ways than ever to rub elbows with President Donald Trump and his inner circle — especially for those willing to pay.

There are more ways than ever to rub elbows with President Donald Trump and his inner circle — especially for those willing to pay. Trump has opened up the White House and his evenings to people who continue to cut massive checks to his political operation. Businesses connected to Trump’s family have promoted access to the president and struck lucrative deals, including with foreign entities, inviting a thicket of potential conflicts. Within DC, new groups are springing up offering exclusive spaces for the pro-Trump ultra-wealthy to mingle and maneuver. Lobbying firms with ties to Trump are booming. Trump’s return to power hasn’t just reshaped the federal government — it’s remaking Washington itself. In a capital dense with cultural enclaves that once sought to shut him and allies out, Trump is supercharging the traditional quest to seek influence with a new presidential administration, offering new avenues for access and embedding his network deeper into the city’s political and social elite. The transformation is playing out in one of the city’s most prominent institutions: the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. Trump has seized control of the cultural center, a venue where protests and pointed snubs of Republicans have become commonplace — Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance were booed in March while entering the concert hall. He is actively pursuing a MAGA-friendly makeover, and to execute his vision, he is seeking $250 million in federal funding for the facility in the ongoing budget negotiations on Capitol Hill, two sources with knowledge of his planning told CNN. A Republican-led House committee recently approved a similar amount of money for the Kennedy Center. Next month, Trump is expected to attend a performance of “Les Misérables” where, for a $2 million donation to the center, guests can sit in the box next to Trump’s and attend a reception with the president and first lady Melania Trump. “During the first Trump administration, officials felt uncomfortable going to the Kennedy Center, like they weren’t welcome,” one senior White House Official told CNN. “We’re going to change that.”