Trump to Close Kennedy Center for Two Years for “Complete Rebuilding”

In Monday’s (2/2) Washington Post, Janay Kingsberry, Travis M. Andrews, Niha Masih, and Leo Sands write, “President Donald Trump said Sunday that he plans to close the Kennedy Center for roughly two years for the facility to undergo construction. The proposal comes amid a series of cancellations and internal upheaval since he took over the arts institution and presidential memorial nearly a year ago and remade it in his name and image. ‘I have determined that The Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding, can be, without question, the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World,’ Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social…. Under Trump’s proposal, which he said is subject to board approval, the Kennedy Center could close on July 4, coinciding with America’s 250th anniversary, with construction beginning immediately…. Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell confirmed the plans in a Sunday evening email to staff … The center has already made some physical changes under the new leadership, adding Trump’s name to the building’s facade, despite legal concerns … The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to requests for comment…. The Washington National Opera announced Jan. 9 it would move out of its longtime home, citing changes to the center’s business model and support.”

In Monday’s (2/2) New York Times, Adam Nagourney and Julia Jacobs  report, “There was no immediate word where the National Symphony Orchestra, which has vowed to keep playing at the center in the midst of the [artist and National Opera] exodus, would perform over those two years. In a typical year, the orchestra plays as many as 150 performances at the Kennedy Center.”