WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President said Sunday he will move to close Washington鈥檚 Kennedy Center performing arts center for two years starting in July for construction, his latest proposal to upturn the storied venue since returning to the White House.
Trump鈥檚 announcement on social media follows a wave of cancellations by leading performers, musicians and groups since the president ousted the previous leadership and added his name to the building. Trump made no mention in his post of the recent cancellations.
His proposal, announced days after the ” a documentary of the first lady was shown at the center, he said was subject to approval by the board of the Kennedy Center, which has been stocked with his hand-picked allies. Trump the center鈥檚 board of trustees.
鈥淭his important decision, based on input from many Highly Respected Experts, will take a tired, broken, and dilapidated Center, one that has been in bad condition, both financially and structurally for many years, and turn it into a World Class Bastion of Arts, Music, and Entertainment,鈥� Trump wrote in his post.
Neither Trump nor Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell, a Trump ally, have provided evidence to back up their claims about the building being in disrepair, and last October, Trump the center would remain open during renovations. In Sunday’s announcement, Trump said the center will close on July 4th, when he said the construction would begin.
鈥淥ur goal has always been to not only save and permanently preserve the Center, but to make it the finest Arts Institution in the world,鈥� Grenell said in a post, citing funds Congress approved for repairs.
鈥淭his will be a brief closure,鈥� Grenell said. 鈥淚t desperately needs this renovation and temporarily closing the Center just makes sense – it will enable us to better invest our resources, think bigger and make the historic renovations more comprehensive. It also means we will be finished faster.”
The sudden decision to shutter and reconstruct the Kennedy Center is sparking blowback as Trump disrupts the popular venue, which began as a national cultural center but Congress renamed as a 鈥渓iving memorial鈥� to President John F. Kennedy in 1964, in the aftermath of the slain 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 returned to the White House, the Kennedy Center is that he has sought to overhaul in his second term. He demolished the East Wing of the White House and launched a massive $400 million ballroom project, is actively pursuing building a triumphal arch on the other side the Arlington Bridge from the the Lincoln Memorial, and has plans for Washington .
Leading performing arts groups have pulled out of appearances at the Kennedy Center, most recently, composer Philip Glass, to withdraw his Symphony No. 15 鈥淟incoln鈥� because he said the values of the center today are in 鈥渄irect conflict鈥� with the message of the piece.
Last month, the Washington National Opera that it will move performances away from in another high-profile departure following Trump鈥檚 takeover of the U.S. capital鈥檚 leading performing arts venue.
The head of artistic programming for the center , less than two weeks after being named to the job.
A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center could not immediately be reached and did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
Late last year, as Trump announced his plan to rename the building 鈥� erecting his name on the building’s main front ahead of that of Kennedy 鈥� he drew sharp opposition from members of Congress, and .
Kerry Kennedy, a niece of John F. Kennedy, said in a social post on X at the time that she will remove Trump鈥檚 name herself with a pickax when his term ends.
Another family member, Maria Shriver, said at the time that it is 鈥渂eyond comprehension that this sitting president has sought to rename this great memorial dedicated to President Kennedy,鈥� her uncle. 鈥淚t is beyond wild that he would think adding his name in front of President Kennedy鈥檚 name is acceptable. It is not.鈥�
Late Sunday evening, Shriver posted a new comment mimicking Trump’s own voice and style, and suggesting the closure of the venue was meant to deflect from the cancellations.
She said that 鈥渆ntertainers are canceling left and right鈥� and the president has determined that “since the name change no one wants to perform there any longer.”
Trump has decided, she said, it’s best 鈥渢o close this center down and rebuild a new center鈥� that will bear his name. She asked, 鈥渞ight?鈥�
One lawmaker, Rep. Joyce Beatty, the Ohio Democrat and ex-officio trustee of the center’s board, sued in December, arguing that 鈥渙nly Congress has the authority to rename the Kennedy Center.鈥�
On Sunday, Beatty said that once again Trump 鈥渉as acted with total disregard for Congress,鈥� which allocates funds to the center.
She questioned what comes next for the artists 鈥� and the building itself. 鈥淟et鈥檚 be clear: remodeling the premises will not restore the Kennedy Center to what it was. A return to artistic independence will,” she said. “America鈥檚 artists are rejecting this attempted takeover, and the administration knows it.鈥�
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Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
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