Billy Porter says ‘opportunities are drying up’ as he leads celeb backlash against Trump’s arts crackdown
"As a Black gay out artist, I caught the wave of what we now know as performative wokeness," said Porter
By Aaron Sugg
Billy Porter rallied outside the Kennedy Center in Washington over the weekend, speaking out against Donald Trump‘s crackdown on the arts.
Speaking to MS NOW, Porter said opportunities for him as an out gay Black actor are drying up, stressing that: “Authoritarian governments go after the arts first.”
“As a Black gay out artist, I caught the wave of what we now know as performative wokeness,” he said. “And I crashed through glass ceilings that were concrete. I have noticed the opportunities slowly drying up for the work that I do.”
“Historical events this administration wants to forget are being removed” – Jane Fonda speaking out against the Trump administration’s cuts to the arts
Other prominent figures at the protest included Jane Fonda, Joan Baez and Jim Acosta, rallying against staffing cuts and programming changes at the Kennedy Center.
Speaking at the protest organised by Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment, the Grace and Frankie star and activist said: “Today, books are being banned, plaques and monuments depicting historical events this administration wants to forget are being removed.”
“Museums, the National Endowment for the Arts, state arts councils, public broadcasting – they’re all being defunded,” Fonda added.
“We have to redefine what going high looks like in this new world order” – Billy Porter condemning Donald Trump’s government
As of 2026, during Trump’s second presidency, the administration’s budget proposals and actions have triggered severe cuts to federal arts funding in the US.
In April, the National Endowment for the Humanities cancelled more than 1,200 grants affecting local history projects, public lectures, and arts initiatives, impacting educational material and opportunities for young people.
“This is not the normal resistance,” Porter said on Saturday. “We have to redefine what going high looks like in this new world order. We have a government that does not follow the rules.”
He called for action, urging the community to come together to protect the arts, saying the current US government is “attacking” the modern world.
The protest coincided with the No Kings demonstrations, which saw over 8 million participants across 50 states and 3,300 rallies, calling for action against the US handling of immigration, economic concerns and the war with Iran.