Richard Grenell spent years trying to penetrate the tightrope structures of the MAGA movement, showing strong ambition to take over the leadership of the US intelligence community in 2020.
He positioned himself as one of the most combative and loyal figures to Donald Trump, aiming for the highest positions in the administration.
Six years later, at a time when Trump was once again at the height of political power, Grenell found himself at the helm of the Kennedy Center – a role that seemed to many to be a departure from the real center of decision-making. According to Daily Mail, even this position is now in question.
The latest twist in his career came after Trump announced the closure of the Kennedy Center for a two-year renovation. The decision followed a tumultuous period for the institution, marked by internal controversies and high-profile cancellations during Grenell's tenure.
The announced "complete restructuring" has left it in a precarious situation, both in a practical and symbolic sense.
Sources who have worked with him at the Kennedy Center describe him as a strong and unpredictable figure. "We were shocked. There is a fear that he could overturn everything," said one of them.
Grenell, 59, from Michigan, has built an image as a rebellious diplomat who eschews traditional protocols to produce direct results for a single audience: the president. However, his influence in the Trump administration has gradually begun to wane, the Telegraph reports.
The most heated clash took place over the issue of Venezuela, where he was appointed special envoy early in Trump's second term. Initially, his more pragmatic approach – focused on negotiations and prisoner releases – yielded some results. But a rift soon developed with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
While Rubio advocated a strategy of “maximum pressure” against the regime of Nicolas Maduro, Grenell preferred a more flexible approach, based on diplomacy and economic agreements. According to diplomatic sources, this clash ended with his gradual removal from the Venezuela file, with the support of Chief of Staff Susie Wiles for Rubio.
But his tensions with Wiles had begun earlier. During the election campaign, Grenell was rumored to be a potential vice presidential candidate. A heated debate at the Republican National Convention over the timing of his speech reportedly escalated into a personal clash with Wiles. According to sources, his verbal outburst against her was considered the moment that closed the door to senior ministerial positions in the new administration.
Grenell denied these allegations and stated that relations with Wiles were correct, but reports of ongoing tensions did not cease.
Meanwhile, his private business activities — including his partnership with Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners and his running of his firm Capitol Media Partners — have raised questions about the mix of public roles and private interests. His net worth is estimated at between $1 million and $5 million.
Some diplomats have described him as a "transactional diplomat," while others claim that his confrontational style has left behind damaged relationships.
Grenell has also spoken publicly about his battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2013, a difficult period he went through after intensive chemotherapy.
His ambitions for high office, including a goal of one day becoming Secretary of State, remain well-known in diplomatic circles. But, according to a former Trump administration official, his stance on Venezuela has put him “on the wrong side” of the domestic debate.
The appointment to head the Kennedy Center in February was seen as a significant shift from foreign policy to a cultural role. The project faced controversy over the budget, the idea of renaming it, and the backlash from artists, some of whom boycotted the institution.
According to sources, Grenell has expressed to close friends his intention to leave the Kennedy Center.
For now, the figure who once aimed to lead American intelligence or diplomacy finds himself in a role that many consider peripheral compared to his ambitions.
"His goal is to become secretary of state," said a veteran diplomat.
"But it's hard to imagine that happening. Trump knows he remains a divisive figure," he added. /Telegraph/
