Trump's week in review: Kennedy Center closure; meeting with Armenian church leaders
3. Trump announces closure of Kennedy Center
In a Truth Social post published Tuesday, Trump announced that “The Board of The Kennedy Center today agreed, almost unanimously, to close the building for Safety reasons, and so that it can begin the process of Reconstruction.” Trump stressed that while “The closing will take place immediately,” the “Renovation and Reconstruction” cannot “begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board’s approved name.”
Trump did not explicitly state this in his post, but the board’s approved name for the historic performing arts venue is the “Trump-Kennedy Center.” The building’s name, as well as the plans to close the facility for renovation, are the subject of ongoing litigation.
“If the ruling is a negative one, which it should not be, and is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place,” Trump wrote. The president has insisted that the Kennedy Center is structurally unsafe for patrons and employees, detailing in another Truth Social post how “A large piece of concrete and steel just dropped down, in a thud, from the ceiling of a heavily trafficked main hallway.”
According to Trump, “A security guard had just passed the area, one minute prior to this ceiling collapse. He was, therefore, 60 seconds away from certain death.”
Trump defended his insistence that his name be added to the Kennedy Center when speaking with reporters Wednesday, calling the facility a “loser financially” that was losing “hundreds of millions of dollars” and maintaining that his efforts to “take that on long term and to carry it or to raise money to carry it” justify “recognition.” He warned that if the building is not closed and renovated, “It’ll end up being ripped down.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
