Deborah Rutter to exit as Kennedy Center president: 'It is time to pass the torch'

Deborah Rutter, who's served as the president of the Kennedy Center since 2014, will step down from the high-profile role at the end of the year.

“After more than 10 extraordinary years in Washington, D.C., collaborating with some of the most phenomenal artists, cultural leaders, diplomats, philanthropists, volunteers, and administrators, I have come to believe it is time to pass the torch,” Rutter said in a statement Monday.

The announcement from the Washington performing arts institution came as President Trump began the second week of his second term in office. Trump famously broke with tradition and didn't attend the annual Kennedy Center Honors throughout his presidency amid protests from some of the high-profile performers being recognized at the gala.

When asked last month if Trump's return to the White House would change anything for the Kennedy Center Honors, Rutter told ITK, "Each new president brings a new perspective.”

“The Trump era, we had a really good dialogue with the White House," Rutter said at the time.

“As soon as he’s in office, we’ll extend an invitation to welcome him to the Kennedy Center,” Rutter said of Trump.

In an interview with The New York Times published Monday, she said, "Republicans don’t love the arts more or less than Democrats."

“The arts can and should be a unifying aspect of our society," she added.

In a statement praising Rutter's time as its president, Kennedy Center board Chair David Rubenstein credited her with being a transformative figure for the cultural hub.

"Her legacy will be the Center’s increased relevance, visibility, and physical footprint," Rubenstein said. "As a result, millions more people have participated in the arts in our country and around the world."

“It has been a great honor to work with the best in the world. It is time now to hand this truly unique institution to a new leader who will take the power and majesty of the arts to the next level," Rutter said in a statement.

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