Biographer Kai Bird wanted to use Robert Mapplethorpe’s 1981 portrait of Roy Cohn for his book “American Scoundrel,” but the Mapplethorpe Foundation declined the license request due to fears of retaliation from President Trump, Cohn’s protégé. Foundation officials, speaking anonymously, said they worried Trump could threaten the nonprofit’s tax status or take other punitive actions, given his history of pressuring institutions like Harvard, the Smithsonian, and the Kennedy Center. The foundation, which must avoid political activity as a charity, feared the book’s subtitle—“Roy Cohn’s Dark Journey From Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump”—might be seen as a political act.

Bird called the decision “astonishing” and “outraged,” saying it showed how Cohn’s influence still chills free expression. Mapplethorpe, known for fighting censorship, founded the organization to protect his artistic legacy, which had previously faced attacks from figures like Jesse Helms. The incident reflects a broader climate of anxiety among nonprofits facing potential government pressure under the Trump administration.