发布时间：2026年3月24日10:00:34.316Z / 来源：美国有线电视新闻网
作者：[桑伦·塞拉法蒂]、[贝琪·克莱因]
1小时33分钟前
发布于 2026年3月24日，美国东部时间上午6:00
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（说明：此处应插入原文图片描述/图片占位符，但根据用户提供的原始内容，该图片是“Matt Floca, right, sits with Ric Grenell as President Donald Trump speaks during a lunch with the Kennedy Center board on March 16, 2026, in Washington, DC. Alex Wong/Getty Images”，但用户输入中该图片描述未被标记为图片占位符，因此保留文字描述）
新任肯尼迪中心主任是一位年轻、颇受欢迎的设施经理，据一位前同事称，他最近“负责暖通空调和厕所”这类工作。
在肯尼迪中心董事会于12月投票将该机构更名为“唐纳德·J·特朗普和约翰·F·肯尼迪纪念表演艺术中心”后，弗洛克在寒冷的室外指导工作人员在大楼正面安装特朗普名字的字母。
三个月后，弗洛克意外地在这个国家最杰出的艺术机构中扮演了关键角色，该机构正准备进行为期两年的翻新工程并暂时关闭。据知情人士透露，他深受特朗普喜爱，两人因对建筑和建设的共同热爱而建立了密切关系。
总统本月早些时候突然宣布，他将任命弗洛克接替长期盟友里奇·格雷内尔，而弗洛克的背景植根于设施和建筑领域。
肯尼迪中心内部人士表示，弗洛克是一位有能力的人，可以在短期内稳定局面，但他被视为该机构弊病的“创可贴”——只能监督翻新工程，而无法处理其他事务。
“他实际上只会负责设施和翻新工作，因为马特的专业知识并不在于市场营销、艺术策划、筹款或其他任何艺术管理类别，而仅仅是设施本身。”一位与肯尼迪中心关系密切的消息人士向CNN透露。
“在这两年的翻新期间，无疑需要有人负责其他所有事务，”该人士补充道。
“他以前负责暖通空调和厕所，是个彻头彻尾的运营人员，他只想谈论结构工程和承载能力。”一位肯尼迪中心前同事评价道。
尽管如此，在肯尼迪中心内部，弗洛克受到信任且被视为无党派人士。在经历了格雷内尔掌舵的动荡一年后，许多人认为他是稳定局势的力量，期间该机构经历了高调演出取消和票房收入暴跌。
另一位与肯尼迪中心关系密切的消息人士表示，弗洛克的晋升反映了特朗普急于更换格雷内尔的迫切心情。随着特朗普对格雷内尔日益不满，继续让他领导已不可行，因此弗洛克被任命为“临时”措施。
周一，弗洛克向肯尼迪中心员工发表了一封“致同事的信”。据CNN获得的电子邮件显示，他承认了这一变动，并承诺将以开放的态度回答问题。
“我非常感谢在这个关键时刻对我的信任，并致力于以你们每天工作时所展现的同样的细心和对质量的关注来实施中心的物理修复工作。”他在电子邮件中表示。
CNN已向弗洛克和肯尼迪中心请求置评。
白宫发言人重申了特朗普之前的表态，称“马特·弗洛克是一名建筑专业人士，他适合领导特朗普-肯尼迪中心进入其历史性的新阶段。”
拜登时代的雇员，特朗普的建筑伙伴
两年多前拜登政府时期加入肯尼迪中心之前，弗洛克在华盛顿特区政府工作了十年，负责基本建设和设施管理。在此之前，他曾是一家建筑公司的项目工程师。根据他的LinkedIn资料，他于2009年毕业于路易斯安那州立大学。
一位前同事表示，在肯尼迪中心，他的职责是管理“标准设施”，监督大楼和安全的升级工作。该职位比其前任（直接向肯尼迪中心总裁汇报）的职责范围更有限。
但在总统个人关注肯尼迪中心翻新工程后，他引起了特朗普的注意。几个月前，在一次大楼巡视中，特朗普对这位年轻的设施经理印象深刻，弗洛克向他介绍了这座老旧建筑所需的翻新工作。
“特朗普归根结底是一位建筑商和开发商，”与肯尼迪中心关系密切的消息人士指出，特朗普和弗洛克之间相互欣赏——弗洛克对总统对建筑和未来建设的了解印象深刻。
他们的关系迅速升温。
肯尼迪中心的许多人表示，弗洛克现在被视为特朗普的人，总统经常给他打电话。
一位前同事告诉CNN，当特朗普建议用大理石覆盖标志性的肯尼迪中心柱子时，是弗洛克劝阻了他。
“他显然理解政府的运作，”与肯尼迪中心关系密切的消息人士表示。
未来挑战
肯尼迪中心预计在年度独立日派对结束后两天（期间举办草坪野餐，富裕捐赠者在屋顶观看烟花）关闭。
在关闭期间，大楼内部的工作将对机构的财务健康和发展方向至关重要——一些内部人士告诉CNN，他们担心弗洛克缺乏管理所有必要工作的经验。
“在关闭期间需要做很多工作，包括沟通、捐赠者管理、艺术家招募、客户服务——如果他只关注建筑和这些升级，那么谁来处理其他80%的工作？”一位前同事兼消息人士问道。
例如，剧院公司通常提前两年预订场地，而该中心“已经处于落后状态”，一位接近肯尼迪中心的消息人士表示。
根据CNN获得的董事会小组会议记录，在关闭期间，肯尼迪中心本已精简的员工队伍将进一步缩减：该中心约300名员工中，预计将有75至175人被裁。
肯尼迪中心一位消息人士表示，弗洛克最大的优势是“不会为特朗普制造麻烦”，因为他正处于总统的青睐之中。
但这将是对弗洛克的考验，他从未需要应对老板同时是美国总统的情况。
“对美国总统的忠诚不一定意味着马特能够为这座建筑做出最佳决策，”了解内情的消息人士表示。
“他从未经营过整个组织，也没有相关经验，一直有缓冲。”一位了解情况的消息人士指出，过去当格雷内尔掌舵并受到特朗普批评时，弗洛克可以利用自己“相对初级”的职位和与总统的良好关系来转移压力。
“他可以始终扮演一个‘好人’的角色，与特朗普有着共同的话题，比如建筑。”
与此同时，另一位消息人士表示，人们隐约意识到弗洛克可能无法应对肯尼迪中心面临的所有挑战。正在讨论是否可能在弗洛克之外再任命一位领导者，以满足艺术机构的更广泛需求——最快可能在六个月内。
但另一位了解计划的消息人士对此表示反对，称对弗洛克有强烈的支持和信心。
上周，弗洛克与特朗普和肯尼迪中心董事会成员一同出现在白宫，坐在刚刚被总统解雇的格雷内尔旁边。
“我认为他会做得很好，”特朗普在会议上评价道，随后补充道：“但如果我认为他做得不好，我会说，‘马特，你被解雇了，我会找别人。’”
（注：原文图片描述与说明文字已按要求翻译并保留格式，其中图片占位符未出现，实际应按用户输入中的图片描述处理。）
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How Matt Floca went from being ‘in charge of HVAC and toilets’ to leading the Kennedy Center | CNN Politics
Published Time: 2026-03-24T10:00:34.316Z / Source: CNN
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[Sunlen Serfaty]
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[Betsy Klein]
1 hr 33 min ago
PUBLISHED Mar 24, 2026, 6:00 AM ET
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Matt Floca, right, sits with Ric Grenell as President Donald Trump speaks during a lunch with the Kennedy Center board on March 16, 2026, in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
The new director of the Kennedy Center is a young, well-liked facilities manager who most recently was “in charge of HVAC and toilets” — as one former colleague put it — at the renowned performing arts institution.
Moments after the Kennedy Center board [voted to rename] the institution the “Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” Matt Floca was outside in the December cold directing the crew [installing the letters] of Trump’s name on the building’s facade.
Three months later, Floca has been unexpectedly thrust into a pivotal role at the nation’s preeminent arts institution as it prepares to undergo a renovation that will see it [close for two years]. He is well-liked by Trump, with whom he has bonded over a shared passion for building and construction, according to people familiar with the dynamic.
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The president suddenly announced earlier this month that he would [replace Ric Grenell], a longtime ally, with Floca, whose background is rooted in facilities and construction.
While Kennedy Center insiders say Floca is a capable hand who can steady the ship in the short term, he is being seen as a “Band-Aid” for the institution’s ills who can oversee renovations but not much else.
“He really will just be overseeing the facility, the renovation, because Matt’s expertise does not lie in marketing, it does not lie in artistic programming, it doesn’t lie in fundraising, it doesn’t lie in literally any other category of arts management other than the facility itself,” a source close to the Kennedy Center told CNN.
“During the two-year renovation there will no doubt need to be a leader in charge of the everything else,” the person added.
“He was in charge of HVAC and toilets. He’s deeply an operations guy, he wants to talk about structural engineering and load capacity,” a former colleague at the Kennedy Center said of Floca.
A view of the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on February 2, 2026.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
Still, within the Kennedy Center, Floca is trusted and seen as apolitical. Many see him as a stabilizing force following a tumultuous year with Grenell at the helm, during which the institution saw high-profile [performance cancellations] and plunging ticket sales.
Floca’s promotion reflected Trump’s urgency to replace Grenell, another source close to the Kennedy Center said. As Trump grew increasingly unhappy with Grenell, having him continue to lead felt untenable, and Floca was put in place as a “stopgap” measure, another person said.
On Monday, Floca penned a “Dear Colleague” letter to Kennedy Center staff. The email, obtained by CNN, acknowledged the changes and promised an open-door policy to answer questions ahead.
“I deeply appreciate the trust placed in me during this pivotal time and am committed to carrying out the physical restoration of the Center with the same care and attention to quality as you bring to work every day,” he said in the email.
CNN asked Floca and the Kennedy Center for comment.
A spokesperson for the White House, echoing earlier statements from Trump, said that “Matt Floca is a construction professional and he is well-suited to lead the Trump-Kennedy Center into its historic next phase.”
Workers remove a setup from an earlier event outside the Kennedy Center on February 2, 2026.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
A Biden-era hire turned Trump building buddy
Before arriving at the Kennedy Center during the Biden administration a little over two years ago, Floca worked for a decade for the DC government on capital construction and facilities. Before that, he was a project engineer at a construction company. According to his LinkedIn profile, he graduated from Louisiana State University in 2009.
At the Kennedy Center, his role has been managing “standard issue facilities,” overseeing upgrades to the building and security, a former colleague said. The role has been more limited than that of a predecessor who reported directly to the Kennedy Center president, the person added.
But he caught Trump’s eye after the president took a personal interest in the Kennedy Center’s renovations. During a walkthrough of the building months ago, Trump was impressed with the young facilities manager who briefed him on the needed renovations for the aging building.
“Trump is, at the end of the day, a builder and developer,” the source close to the Kennedy Center said, noting that the feeling of admiration was mutual between Trump and Floca, who was impressed with the president’s knowledge of the building and the construction that lies ahead.
Their relationship has grown fast.
Many at the Kennedy Center say Floca is now perceived as Trump’s guy, and the president calls Floca often, multiple sources said.
When Trump suggested covering the iconic Kennedy Center columns in marble, it was Floca who steered him away from the idea, a former colleague told CNN.
“He seemed to definitely understand the administration,” the source close to the Kennedy Center told CNN.
Challenges ahead
The Kennedy Center is expected to close to the public two days after its annual Fourth of July party, when it hosts picnics on the lawn and well-heeled donors watch fireworks from the roof.
What happens next behind the shuttered doors will be pivotal for the financial health and direction of the institution — and some insiders told CNN they feared Floca will not have the experience to manage all that needs to be done.
“There is a lot that will need to happen during this closure, including communications, donor management, artist recruitment, patrons — if he’s myopic in focusing on the architecture and these upgrades, who is doing the other 80% of the job?” asked one source, a former colleague.
Theater companies book out two years in advance, for example, and the center is “already beyond behind the eight ball,” a source close the Kennedy Center said of the programming plans.
During the closure, an already skeleton staff at the Kennedy Center will be trimmed even more: An estimated 75 to 175 out of the center’s roughly 300 employees will be cut, according to meeting minutes from a board subcommittee obtained by CNN.
Perhaps the biggest quality going for Floca, a Kennedy Center source said, is the perception that he is “not going to make waves” for Trump since he is in the president’s good graces.
But that will be a test for Floca, who has not had to navigate a boss who is also the president.
“Being beholden to the president of the United States doesn’t necessarily mean that Matt’s going to be able to make the best decisions for the building,” the source with knowledge of the dynamic said.
“He’s never been the person that’s running an organization. He has had no experience with that. He’s always had a buffer,” the source familiar with the dynamic said. He pointed out that, in the past, when Grenell was at the helm and drew Trump’s criticism, it acted as a shield for Floca, who could use his “relatively junior” position and good relationship with the president to deflect the heat.
“He could always sort of be the good guy that has all of this stuff in common with Trump, like construction,” the person said.
Portraits of President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance are seen inside the Hall of Nations on February 2, 2026.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Getty Images
At the same time, there is an implicit recognition that he may not equipped to address all the challenges the Kennedy Center is facing, another source said. Discussions are taking place to potentially appoint an additional leader alongside Floca who could fulfill the broader needs of an arts institution — as soon as within six months, the person said.
But another source familiar with the plans pushed back on that notion, adding there is strong support and confidence in Floca.
Appearing at the White House with Trump and the rest of the members of the Kennedy Center board last week, Floca was seated next to Grenell, who only days before had been ousted by the president.
“I think he’d do a good job,” Trump said of Floca at the meeting, before adding: “But if I don’t think he will do a good job, I’ll say, ‘Matt, you’re fired. I’m getting somebody else.’”
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