Richard Grenell’s journey through the fierce ranks of the MAGA movement was marked by persistence and determination, eventually leading him to helm the nation’s top intelligence agency in 2020.

Fast forward six years, and at the height of Donald Trump’s influence, Grenell finds himself at the helm of a theater—a role now in jeopardy.

This month, Grenell’s career path took another unexpected twist when Trump unveiled plans to close the Kennedy Center for an extensive two-year renovation project.

The decision comes after a tumultuous year of internal strife and high-profile event cancellations that have cast a shadow over the venue during Grenell’s leadership. Now, the complete renovation threatens to leave both the former intelligence chief’s reputation and the venue itself in ruins.

“We were all caught off guard. I’m concerned they might dismantle everything,” shared a source familiar with Grenell’s work at the Kennedy Center.

At 59, the Michigan-born Grenell is openly gay and embodies the archetype of a political maverick—a combative and tenacious diplomat who sidestepped conventional routes to achieve results for one key audience: the president.

But as the US operation to capture Nicolás Maduro transformed the global landscape, the man once seen as a shoe-in for a top Cabinet post found himself frozen out of Trump’s inner circle.

Branded ‘a ruthlessly ambitious’ a******,’ by two former colleagues, Grenell’s  described sharp-elbows and short-tempered personality have finally caught up with him, as he’s been pushed out of the administration’s most high-level and sensitive foreign policy decisions, according to four diplomatic sources who have worked closely with Grenell. 

Grenell has been pushed out of the administration’s most high-level and sensitive foreign policy decisions and exiled to run a theater in DC

Grenell was given locked out of talks with Venezuela after butting heads with Secretary of State Marco Rubio

The most substantive clash centered on Venezuela, a hot spot he was assigned to as their ‘special envoy’ at the top of Trump’s second term.

Grenell initially saw tangible gains from his softer approach, negotiating prisoner releases and pushing for a ‘pragmatic’ approach that favored oil deals over regime change. But he soon found himself in tactical gridlock with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

As Rubio pushed for ‘maximum pressure’ and a military buildup that eventually led to the shock capture of Maduro, Grenell was still reportedly advocating for a ‘different relationship’ with the dictator, rooted in diplomacy and coercion. 

‘Even Maria Machado refused to meet with him,’ a US diplomat who worked with Grenell explained. ‘We heard she did not want to deal with him, and did not like what he stood for.’

The US diplomat familiar with their botched meeting told the Daily Mail that Machado’s reluctance to deal with Grenell came partly from a mix of ‘arrogance and inflexibility.’

‘She thought Grenell was beneath her… didn’t understand who Grenell was, he is a nobody in Latin America. She was also cautious, she didn’t know or trust him,’ the diplomat explained, adding that Machado didn’t want to be seen as being used for symbolic purposes.

Two diplomatic sources and one source familiar at the State Department tell Daily Mail that, ultimately, Rubio—backed by Chief of Staff Susie Wiles—successfully ‘elbowed’ Grenell out of the Venezuela portfolio entirely, leaving him to watch from the sidelines as Rubio’s hawkish vision was executed. 

But Grenell’s real downfall came long before the plot to seize Maduro, as his ego metastasized during the last campaign.

Grenell was caught floating himself to campaign aides at Mar-a-Lago to be Trump’s vice presidential nominee, according to one source close to the White House.

Then came a defining incident at the Republican National Convention, where a heated argument with Wiles over his speaking time on the dais boiled over. 

‘He screamed at Susie, and he told her, “You’re the reason why we’re going to lose this f**king election!”‘ the same source close to the White House told the Daily Mail. The confrontation was so intense that Wiles was reportedly left on the verge of tears.

He probably didn’t know it at the time, but that single outburst sealed Grenell’s fate, freezing him out of any serious cabinet-level roles in Trump 2.0.

‘He berated Susie Wiles because he didn’t get a primetime speaking spot at the convention,’ that source added. ‘That’s why he doesn’t have … a big job. It’s why he was never considered for Secretary of State.’

Grenell’s relationship with Susie Wiles collapsed during the campaign after he screamed at her during a heated argument at the RNC convention in 2024. Grenell and other former Trump campaign staff deny the blow up

During the first Trump administration, Grenell was US ambassador to Germany and acting Director of National Intelligence

Grenell denied the fight with Wiles and insisted he maintains a friendly relationship with her. He later called the Daily Mail and said Wiles herself would reach out to confirm the story was untrue. That call from Wiles never came.

Shortly before publication, the Daily Mail reached out to Grenell for comment on his claim that Wiles would deny the altercation, but he abruptly ended the call. 

Instead, Chris LaCivita, who helped run the Trump 2024 campaign with Wiles told the Daily Mail, ‘Whoever is feeding you this silly sh*t is an a**hat.’

A GOP operator close to the White House also told the Daily Mail that while Grenell did not land a Cabinet post in Trump’s second term, running the Kennedy Center is still a ‘big deal.’

According to a source close to the Trump family, Wiles has made jokes at Grenell’s expense inside the Oval Office, a glaring indication the animosity still simmers.

‘Susie f**king hates his guts,’ the Trump family source said. The impression given inside Trump’s inner orbit was that Grenell could cause the administration headaches due to his overseas dealings. 

Grenell’s circle was nicknamed, ‘the misfit toys caucus,’ according to this source. 

In one instance, Grenell reportedly arranged for the Serbian President to fly to Florida for a quiet meeting with Trump in May 2025. The meeting never happened. 

Sources say Wiles personally ‘blocked’ the encounter, leaving the foreign leader in an ‘awkward spot’ and signaling that Grenell’s ‘days of freelancing’ were under intense scrutiny. 

The official explanation from Belgrade was that President Vučić had to cut his trip short and return to Serbia after suffering a hypertensive episode. 

Diplomats familiar with the situation explain that Grenell’s goals beyond Serbian-US relations centered around business deals in Serbia done with Jared Kushner.

The most significant part of his private business involves his partnership with Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners. Grenell was instrumental in brokering a $500 million luxury hotel and memorial complex in downtown Belgrade.

The deal involved a 99-year lease with the Serbian government, where Kushner’s firm develops the site, and profits are shared with the Serbian state. Although at this point, it seems the deal may have fallen through.

A source close to the Trump family says Wiles mocks Grenell behind his back in the Oval Office

Diplomatic sources who have worked with Grenell described him as a hot-headed and abrasive to staff

Affinity Partners did not respond to a Daily Mail request for comment.

Even while serving as the special presidential envoy, Grenell has also maintained his private firm, Capitol Media Partners. 

Most public wealth-tracking sites estimate his net worth to be in the range of $1 million to $5 million as he continues to earn $100,000 retainer stipends for his private sector work as well as an annual $200,000 in restricted stock options. 

‘You could call him a transactional diplomat,’ a diplomatic source close to Grenell told the Daily Mail. 

However, Grenell’s combative style has left a trail of burned bridges across the diplomatic community.

‘I would say he’s extremely self-serving and ruthlessly ambitious, and he can be really nasty,’ a veteran diplomat who has known Grenell for decades told the Daily Mail. ‘After his cancer scare, he seemed changed. He became so much more ruthless.’

Grenell publicly revealed in June 2013 that he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He underwent an aggressive chemotherapy for months, describing the experience as ‘brutal.’ He was in remission by September that same year and is reportedly in good health.

In a 2019 interview, he explained his change in perspective, saying, ‘Having this cancer experience has also led me to a more successful career in public service, because I’ve become much more authentic and compassionate… I’m also more willing to take risks both in my personal and public life.’

That appetite for risk-taking has since manifested as a relentless, often abrasive, drive for the highest offices in the land and a desire to succeed Rubio.

But that goal now seems far-fetched.  

‘He is bombastic and incredibly sure of himself for reasons that I don’t frankly understand … He was obviously on the wrong side of the administration when it came to Venezuela and Rubio,’ added the former Trump official. ‘His 15 minutes of fame have passed, and that’s why he’s now at Kennedy Center.’ 

Grenell’s appointment in February to lead the Kennedy Center came as Trump had designs to find someone willing to help facilitate the name change. 

Now, as head of the storied arts institution, he has found himself mired in controversy—facing accusations of budget cuts, outrage for renaming the building the ‘Trump-Kennedy Center,’ and repeated clashes with prominent artists.

The embattled Grenell currently leads the Kennedy Center as a growing number of artists have boycotted the venue 

A growing number of performers have boycotted the venue, canceling scheduled shows as ticket sales plunge. Grenell has accused CNN and The Washington Post of fueling the backlash and encouraging the artist-led revolt.

‘Early on in the administration, Rick Grenell was going to be this swashbuckling problem solver who was gonna crisscross the globe, fixing things… and that burned out,’ a diplomat who worked with Grenell in Venezuela said. ‘Now he’s reduced to reducing the Kennedy Center.’

Amid mounting pressure, Grenell has privately told close friends that he plans to leave the Kennedy Center later this year.

For now, the man who once dreamed of running American intelligence or diplomacy finds himself managing a theater—both literally and figuratively—as his ambitions collide with the reality of his prickly reputation.

‘His goal, his ambition, is to be Secretary of State,’ said the veteran diplomat. ‘But I don’t see that happening. Trump knows the negative views a lot of people have of him.’