The Kennedy Center in Washington DC will be closed for a two-year renovation beginning in July, President Donald Trump has announced. In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump said the center would close on 4 July this year in honor of the 250th Anniversary of our Country. The move follows several artists canceling performances at the storied institution after it was recently renamed as the Trump Kennedy Center. Shortly after taking office, the president fired several of the board members at the center and replaced them with allies, who then voted to make Trump chairman of the board. The new board renamed the institution the Donald J Trump and the John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in December, and new signage was placed on the building's exterior shortly thereafter.
Several musical acts, including Steven Schwartz, the composer of the musical Wicked, and a group called Doug Varone and the Dancers, canceled performances in the following weeks due to the Trump name change. On Thursday, the venue hosted a premiere screening of a documentary about first lady Melania Trump.
Trump has stated that there would be a scheduled grand reopening for the facility, and that the renovations had already been financed. He expressed hopes that the Trump Kennedy Center could be transformed into the finest performing arts facility globally. Additionally, he claimed that the renovations are essential for maintaining construction quality and expediting completion times.
Trump had criticized the physical state of the center and worked with Congress to allocate more than $250 million towards its rebuilding, a key project during his second term. Some US lawmakers have argued that as the center was named under a 1964 law, any name change must involve congressional approval. Last December, Democratic US Representative Joyce Beatty filed a lawsuit to attempt to remove Trump's name from the center. Members of President John F Kennedy's family have also denounced the name change, emphasizing the center's significance as a memorial to the late president.
Several musical acts, including Steven Schwartz, the composer of the musical Wicked, and a group called Doug Varone and the Dancers, canceled performances in the following weeks due to the Trump name change. On Thursday, the venue hosted a premiere screening of a documentary about first lady Melania Trump.
Trump has stated that there would be a scheduled grand reopening for the facility, and that the renovations had already been financed. He expressed hopes that the Trump Kennedy Center could be transformed into the finest performing arts facility globally. Additionally, he claimed that the renovations are essential for maintaining construction quality and expediting completion times.
Trump had criticized the physical state of the center and worked with Congress to allocate more than $250 million towards its rebuilding, a key project during his second term. Some US lawmakers have argued that as the center was named under a 1964 law, any name change must involve congressional approval. Last December, Democratic US Representative Joyce Beatty filed a lawsuit to attempt to remove Trump's name from the center. Members of President John F Kennedy's family have also denounced the name change, emphasizing the center's significance as a memorial to the late president.
