The president tied the future of the Washington, D.C. cultural institution to receiving recognition, after a judge rejected efforts to add his name to the building.
Donald Trump has escalated his fight over the Kennedy Center, suggesting the Washington, D.C. performing arts institution could be demolished if his administration does not receive recognition. Speaking to reporters Wednesday night, Trump framed the building’s survival as conditional on acknowledgment of his involvement.
“For me to go and fix it… I’m the one capable of fixing it, and then have to subsidize it for years to come because you will lose with the Kennedy Center,” Trump said. “They were losing hundreds of millions of dollars, and sometimes hundreds of millions—this is before I got involved.”
He continued: “So for the Trump administration, for me to get involved and to take that on long term, and to carry it or to raise money to carry it, I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition. Because frankly, if we don’t do that, it’s going to close. It’ll end up being ripped down.”
The comments follow a federal judge’s latest rejection of an effort to add Trump’s name to the building. Trump’s appointed board has separately moved to close the center, citing safety concerns and financial issues, and halted a $257 million renovation plan. After the remarks, Trump was photographed reviewing a placard reading “Kennedy Center Demolition.”
Ohio Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, an ex officio Kennedy Center board member, filed an emergency motion seeking a court hearing in response to Trump’s comments. The dispute continues to test control over the federally backed arts venue.
Join the Club
Like this story? You’ll love our monthly newsletter.
Thank you for subscribing to the newsletter.
Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later.
ROMBO Editorial Staff
The collective voice behind ROMBO Magazine’s news, reviews, features, and cultural coverage.
