Grenell’s passionate allegiance to the Republican cause eventually caught the attention of George W. Bush, who named him a US State Department spokesperson for the United Nations in 2001. In this role, Grenell advised four different US ambassadors until the end of his tenure in 2008.

President Donald Trump named foreign policy adviser and loyalist Richard Grenell interim executive director of the Kennedy Center on Monday, days after appointing himself chair, solidifying his control over the iconic American cultural institution.

President Donald Trump has named Richard Grenell, a close advisor who lived in the Coachella Valley for years, to lead the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts temporarily, according to a post on the social media platform Truth Social.