Kennedy Center Closure and Renovation Announcement
The Kennedy Center in Washington DC will close for a two-year renovation starting in July, President Donald Trump announced.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump stated that the center would close on 4 July this year "in honor of the 250th Anniversary of our Country."
Background on Name Change and Board Restructuring
This decision follows several artists canceling performances after the institution was recently renamed the Trump Kennedy Center.
Shortly after assuming office, President Trump dismissed several board members at the center and replaced them with allies, who subsequently voted to appoint Trump as chairman of the board.
In December, the new board renamed the institution the Donald J Trump and the John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. New signage reflecting this change was installed on the building's exterior the following day.
Artist Reactions and Recent Events
Following the name change, several musical acts, including Steven Schwartz, the composer of the musical Wicked, and a group called Doug Varone and the Dancers, canceled performances at the center.
On Thursday, the venue hosted a premiere screening of a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump.
Renovation Plans and Funding
President Trump indicated there would be a "scheduled grand reopening" for the facility and confirmed 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 on Truth Social.
"In other words, if we don't close, the quality of construction will not be nearly as good, and the time to completion, because of interruptions with Audiences from the many events using the facility, will be much longer."
Trump had criticized the physical condition of the center and collaborated with Congress to allocate more than $250 million (£182 million) for its reconstruction, one of several renovation projects he has pursued during his second term.
Legal and Family Opposition
Some US lawmakers and legal experts have argued that since the center was named in a 1964 law, Congress must approve any name changes.
In December, Democratic US Representative Joyce Beatty filed a lawsuit seeking to remove Trump's name on these grounds.
Members of President John F Kennedy's family have also condemned the renaming. The center was originally named in Kennedy's memory shortly after his assassination.
Joe Kennedy III, a former US House of Representatives member and grandnephew of the late president, stated the venue was "a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law."
