(AFP) – The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington will close for two years for refurbishment, its board unanimously approved Monday, after President Donald Trump’s takeover of the storied venue generated anger and performance cancellations. The board, consisting of allies hand-picked by Trump, also approved the appointment of Matt Floca as president of the Kennedy Center, to replace former head Richard Grenell.
Trump announced last month the closure of the Kennedy Center for renovations starting July 4, “whereupon we will simultaneously begin Construction of the new and spectacular Entertainment Complex,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. Trump has stamped his mark on the Kennedy Center since the start of his second term, part of an assault on US cultural institutions that his administration has accused of being too left-wing. The 79-year-old installed himself as chairman of the board for the center, originally named after president John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963.
Then in December, the board voted to rename it the “Trump-Kennedy” center. A cascade of artists canceled performances at the venue in response to the move, and US media reported that ticket sales at the Kennedy Center had fallen to their lowest level since the Covid pandemic. Trump has denied that he plans to bulldoze the center, and posted two renderings on social media last week of what it would look like when refurbished.
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