4 weeks ago
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PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Special Presidential Envoy and John F. Kennedy Center Executive Director Richard Grenell blasted Broadway star Patti LuPone for saying the Trump-chaired institution “should get blown up,” accusing her of giving “aid and comfort to the crazies” and fueling violent extremism.
👥 Who’s Involved: Richard Grenell, Patti LuPone, the Kennedy Center, and the Trump administration.
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📍 Where & When: Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt Tonight, with Grenell’s comment aired on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: “She is giving aid and comfort to somebody who says, ‘Patti Lupone wants me to go blow up the Kennedy Center,’” Grenell said.
⚠️ Impact: Grenell’s rebuke highlights the Trump administration’s push to curb radical left rhetoric, increasingly common among leftist public figures such as LuPone.
IN FULL:
President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Director for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Richard Grenell, rebuked Broadway star Patti LuPone on May 28, 2025, accusing her of fueling violent extremism with her reckless claim that the Kennedy Center “should get blown up.”
Speaking on Rob Schmitt Tonight, Grenell called out LuPone’s comments in a recent New Yorker interview, warning that her rhetoric provides “aid and comfort to the crazies” and risks inciting real-world violence.
“We should have every Democrat, every left-leaning person condemning what she said,” Grenell declared, addressing LuPone’s inflammatory statement about the Kennedy Center, which Trump personally chairs following post-Biden reforms.
“Do I actually believe Patti LuPone is going to build a bomb and throw it inside the Kennedy Center? No, I don’t believe that. However, she is giving aid and comfort to the crazies,” Grenell warned. “She is giving aid and comfort to somebody who says, ‘Patti Lupone wants me to go blow up the Kennedy Center.’ We need to call this out. This needs to stop—this radical left extremism that’s morphing into violence. This has to stop.”
Grenell’s response aligns with Trump’s broader push to curb inflammatory rhetoric, especially after he survived two assassination attempts in 2024—one in Butler, Pennsylvania, and another in West Palm Beach, Florida—which he blamed on Democrat vitriol.
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: A recent study reveals a 13 percent reduction in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) jobs in the U.S., with 2,600 positions eliminated.
👥 Who’s Involved: Revelio Labs conducted the analysis; President Donald J. Trump and his Department of Justice (DOJ) are pushing back against DEI practices.
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📍 Where & When: The data covers the growth and now accelerating decline of DEI jobs since 2016.
💬 Key Quote: “I’m hopeful and encouraged that Harmeet will drop the hammer on these companies,” says Will Hild, Executive Director of Consumers’ Research, referring to Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for the civil rights division at the DOJ.
⚠️ Impact: While DEI job numbers remain above 2016 levels, they are rapidly falling from their peak. This suggests that Trump’s White House efforts to crack down on discriminatory DEI policies are working and reversing the course of corporate policies.
IN FULL:
A new analysis by Revelio Labs reveals a significant decline in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) roles across the United States, with 2,600 positions eliminated since 2023. This marks a 13 percent reduction, bringing the total number of DEI-related jobs to approximately 17,700 as of January 2025, down from a peak of 20,000 in 2023.
The report highlights a dramatic shift from the rapid growth seen in recent years. Job postings for DEI roles surged by 595 percent in August 2022 compared to 2020. Positions tied to terms like “belonging,” “social impact,” or “culture” are also reportedly in decline.
This comes as major corporations scale back DEI programs and reduce financial support for Pride events, following a crackdown on what the Trump administration has termed illegal DEI practices. President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order in January 2025 aimed at eliminating identity-based employment considerations and restoring merit-based opportunities. Among the corporations to comply, at least in part, are Target, Deloitte, Lockheed Martin, and Verizon.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is expected to release further guidance soon, including recommendations for the private sector and a list of ongoing compliance investigations. Additionally, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, led by Harmeet Dhillon, has named investigating race-based employment discrimination as a top priority.
Observers have raised concerns about the potential rebranding of DEI roles within corporate structures. Will Hild, Executive Director of Consumers’ Research, warns, “If they just relabel DEI to be some department of HR, it’s not going to do any good.” Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that the human resources sector employed 922,000 people in 2024, up from 631,000 in 2016.
The analysis also revealed demographic trends within the DEI workforce. Women comprised more than 71 percent of DEI professionals from 2020 to 2024, compared to 51 percent in other roles. Additionally, Black and Hispanic workers accounted for 33 percent of DEI positions, compared to 21 percent of other roles. “That’s a tacit admission that they were engaging in race- and sex-based discrimination,” Hild commented, adding: “I’m hopeful and encouraged that Harmeet will drop the hammer on these companies.”
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