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The John F Kennedy Center, a world-class venue for the performing arts in Washington DC, will halt entertainment events for two years starting on 4 July during renovations, Donald Trump posted on Sunday on Truth Social.
The Kennedy Center, which has seen a wave of performers cancel events in recent months as well as the lowest ticket sales in years, has been in turmoil since the president orchestrated a leadership overhaul in the beginning of his term.
In his Truth Social post, Trump claimed he had been reviewing the venue for one year to decide between a full closure and reopening or partial closure during its reconstruction. “Based on these findings, and totally subject to Board approval, I have determined that the fastest way to bring The Trump Kennedy Center to the highest level of Success, Beauty, and Grandeur, is to cease Entertainment Operations for an approximately two year period of time, with a scheduled Grand Reopening that will rival and surpass anything that has taken place with respect to such a Facility before,” Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social.
Trump began his takeover of the Kennedy Center in February 2025, overhauling the board who immediately named him chair of the institution. The president spoke of his plans for the venue in February, saying: “We’re going to make sure that it’s good and it’s not going to be woke. There’s no more woke in this country.”
The center historically has hosted more than 2,000 events a year, according to the website, although many performers have pulled out of planned shows since Trump’s shakeup began. Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller said in a March social media post that “our show simply cannot, in conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center”. Actor and producer Issa Rae, Grammy-winning musician Rhiannon Giddens, Peter Wolf, and rock band Low Cut Connie also called off Kennedy Center performances.
Other notable artists have reacted to Trump putting himself in charge of the institution as well. Television producer and screenwriter Shonda Rhimes resigned from the center’s board of trustees in February, as soprano and actor Renée Fleming and singer and songwriter Ben Folds stepped down as artistic advisers.
In December, the center’s new board of trustees, handpicked by Trump, voted to rename the world-renowned institution to the “Trump-Kennedy Center”. However, the venue is, by law, designated the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and was built to be a living memorial to the former president, according to the New York Times. The paper noted it had been generally understood that any change to the center’s name would require congressional approval.
In January, the Washington National Opera announced it would, after more than 40 years, be moving its performances out of the Kennedy Center.
An analysis for the Washington Post found that Kennedy Center ticket sales had plummeted last year. Data analyzed from 3 September to 19 October found that 43% of ticket sales for typical productions remained unsold.
© 2015 Mutual Fund Observer. All rights reserved.
© 2015 Mutual Fund Observer. All rights reserved. Powered by Vanilla
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"WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Donald J. Trump announced on Monday that he had successfully completed the first phase of the Kennedy Center’s renovation by removing its audience.
Arguing that a building cannot undergo construction while people are still in it, Trump revealed that he had spent the past year ensuring that no one would set foot inside the performing arts center for the foreseeable future.
He achieved that goal with blazing efficiency by putting his name on the building, naming himself chairman, and alienating any performing artist one might conceivably pay to see.
Additionally, audiences have steered clear of the Kennedy Center out of fear that they might be seated next to JD Vance.
In a Truth Social post, Trump boasted, “For the past 54 years, the Kennedy Center has been plagued by audiences. I was able to fix that problem in just twelve months!”"
https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/5718406-kennedy-center-renovation-donald-trump/
fitting that the Melania movie showing was the euthanasia served up to this suffering center.
clearing the way for some old school trump\gop construction grift.
Cannot get performers to perform. Cannot get audiences to attend. Best to shut it down for 2 years and spend a huge sum on renovations. Lots of gold decor, no doubt! Then when you re-open, you will be deep in a financial hole and still unable to get anyone to perform at a venue with the "trump" moniker.
The work of a stable genius.
https://www.nationalreview.com/carnival-of-fools/we-all-know-why-trump-is-closing-the-kennedy-center-for-renovations/
one of trump's most repulsive weasels is Kennedy center prez dick grenell.
just a few weeks ago, he was 'overtalking' questions on pbs on how he and trump have put the center back on a profitable footing.
now he is busy retrospectively justifying the closure he had no idea about.