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, Trump stated that the center would close on July 4 this year in honor of the 250th Anniversary of our Country.
The move follows several artists cancelling performances at the storied institution after it was recently renamed as the Trump Kennedy Center.
Shortly after taking office, Trump fired several board members at the center and replaced them with allies, who then voted to make him 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, with new signage installed shortly thereafter.
Several musical acts, including Steven Schwartz, the composer of *Wicked*, canceled performances in protest of the name change.
Trump stated that there would be a scheduled grand reopening for the facility and that the renovations had already been financed. 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, he wrote.
While many laws were enacted to establish the center under JFK's name, some US lawmakers and legal scholars argue that Congress must approve any name changes.
In December, Democratic US Representative Joyce Beatty filed a lawsuit aimed at removing Trump’s name from the center, emphasizing its significance as a memorial to the fallen president.
Critiques have also emerged from relatives of President Kennedy, asserting the center should remain a tribute to his legacy.
