The Kennedy Center’s board of directors voted Monday to support President Donald Trump’s proposal to close the institution for two years, The Associated Press reported.
The closure will begin after July 4th celebrations commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. When Trump announced plans to close the center in February, he said he wanted to transform “a tired, broken and dilapidated center” into “the best performing arts facility of its kind,” which would require closing the center entirely.
Related articles
“We’re going to make sure it remains the best performing arts facility of its kind in the world,” Trump told reporters at a news conference before Monday’s vote, according to the Associated Press.
this new york times According to the report, he also said, “The thing I know best in the world is architecture. The best way to do it is to close it, finish it right, and then reopen it, reopen it grandly. When it’s finished, it’s going to be much better than when it was originally built.”
At a meeting at the White House, the Kennedy Center Board of Directors also approved the appointment of Matt Floca as CEO and Executive Director. Floca replaces Richard Grenell, a Trump ally who resigned on Friday.
Trump confirmed Grenell’s departure and said Floca would succeed him following a vote by the Truth Society’s board of directors last week. “Rick Grenell has done an outstanding job helping to coordinate the various components of the center during the transition, and I want to thank him for the great job he has done,” Trump said in the post.
The Kennedy Center has been the focus of Trump’s effort to rebuild the nation’s capital during his second term as president, which has also included controversial renovations of the White House and its grounds and a crackdown on exhibits and displays at the Smithsonian Institution, U.S. national monuments and other sites managed by the National Park Service.
In just over a year, Trump ousted much of the Kennedy Center’s previous leadership, appointed a new board of directors, elected him chairman and sought to add his name to the organization’s official name, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. (The organization changed its name in 1964 to the “Living Memorial to the Assassinated President.”) Although Trump’s name has been added to the center’s facade, the official name change remains legally questionable.
Since Trump took office, several high-profile performers have canceled performances scheduled at the Kennedy Center, including composer Philip Glass and the Martha Graham Dance Company earlier this year. The Washington National Opera also said it would look for a new location.
Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, who is also an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board of directors, has filed a lawsuit against Trump’s proposal to change the center’s name and close it.
The latter’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said, “President Trump’s own words indicate that he plans to demolish the existing Kennedy Center building. What is clear is that Congress has not authorized the closure or ‘complete reconstruction’ of the center.”
Beatty’s lawsuit also seeks to ensure she can attend Monday’s meeting and vote. A federal judge ruled that Beatty could attend, which she did, but did not ask the board to allow her to vote, the Associated Press reported. this era She did not vote, the report said, citing a news release saying the vote was unanimous.
At a press conference, according to era“I told them very clearly that I was not opposed to renovations if needed. I was completely opposed to the process because it was illegal and they didn’t check with Congress,” Beatty said.
