politics
Trump’s New Plan to Get His Name Back on the Kennedy Center
The center’s board voted—again—to shut down for a renovation. It threw in a design tweak.
TL;DR
- Trump's appointed trustees voted to add his name back to the Kennedy Center's facade.
- A resolution would read: 'The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated by President Donald Trump.'
- An additional line could be added if an endowment reaches $100 million: 'Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.'
- The board also voted again to approve a two-year closure of the center for renovations.
- A previous federal judge ruled that the board had not sufficiently examined the consequences of a full shutdown.
- A consulting report presented two scenarios: a two-year closure favored by Trump, or a four-year plan allowing programming to continue.
- Trump joined the meeting virtually and reportedly delivered a lengthy tirade about the center's condition.
- Some ex officio trustees criticized the naming resolution, citing the previous court order.
- The continued tarp covering the facade since June, obscuring John F. Kennedy's name, is still unexplained.
- Critics argue Trump's leadership has politicized the center, alienating audiences and artists.