Kennedy Center to close for 2 years for construction in July, Trump says : NPR
President Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Sunday after returning from a trip to Florida. He says he will decide whether to close the Kennedy Center for two years for renovations.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
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Mark Schiefelbein/AP
WASHINGTON — President Trump announced Sunday that he will close Washington’s Kennedy Center performing arts center for two years starting in July for construction, his latest move to modernize the historic venue since returning to the White House.
Trump’s social media announcement follows a wave of cancellations from high-profile artists and groups since the president ousted previous management and added his name to the building. Trump made no mention in his message of the recent cancellations.
His proposal, announced a few days after the premiere of Melaniea documentary about the first lady, was screened at the center, and he said it was subject to approval by the Kennedy Center board, which was staffed by his hand-picked allies. Trump himself chairs the center’s board of directors.
“This important decision, based on input from many highly respected experts, will transform a tired, broken and dilapidated center that has been in disrepair, both financially and structurally, for many years, into a bastion of world-class arts, music and entertainment,” Trump wrote in his message.
Neither Trump nor Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell, a Trump ally, has provided evidence to support their claims that the building was in disrepair.
The sudden move is sure to spark a blowback as Trump upends the popular venue, which began as a national cultural center but which Congress renamed a “living memorial” to President John F. Kennedy in 1964, following the assassinated president’s death. Opened in 1971, it is open year-round as a public showcase for the arts, including the National Symphony Orchestra.
Since Trump’s return to the White House, the Kennedy Center has been one of several Washington landmarks he has sought to put his stamp on during his second term. He demolished the East Wing of the White House and launched a massive $400 million ballroom project, is actively pursuing construction of a triumphal arch across the Arlington Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial, and has plans for Washington-Dulles International Airport.
Major performing arts groups have withdrawn from their performances, most recently composer Philip Glass, who announced his decision to withdraw his Symphony No. 15 “Lincoln” because he said the center’s values today are in “direct conflict” with the message of the piece.
Last month, the Washington National Opera announced it would move its performances from the Kennedy Center, another high-profile departure following Trump’s takeover of the US capital’s premier performing arts venue.
The center’s head of arts programming abruptly left his position last week, less than two weeks after being appointed to the position.
A Kennedy Center spokesperson did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
When Trump announced plans to rename the building – erecting his name on the building’s main facade – he received strong opposition from members of Congress and some members of the Kennedy family.
Kerry Kennedy, a niece of John F. Kennedy, said in a social post on X at the time that she would remove Trump’s name herself with a pickaxe at the end of his term.
