A photo has emerged appearing to show US President Donald Trump studying plans to demolish the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts while aboard Air Force One. The image, which shows Trump looking at a mood-board that appears to read “KENNEDY CENTER DEMOLITION,” has sparked a shocked reaction across the United States.
The controversy comes amid a long-running dispute over the prestigious Washington arts centre. Trump had earlier appointed a board of trustees that unanimously voted to rename the venue the Trump-Kennedy Centre, but that move was later determined to be illegal. Performers and audiences began to shun the venue, leading to a marked decline in its revenue.
Closure orders and legal battles
In February, Trump announced that the centre would be closed in July for major renovations. However, district judge Christopher R. "Casey" Cooper vetoed that closure and ordered that Trump's name be removed from the building. Amid the controversy, Trump ordered the centre to be closed “for safety reasons” on September 15.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the building is unsafe, writing on his Truth Social network: “The Kennedy Center is in a virtual state of collapse, and has been for many years. A large piece of concrete and steel just dropped down, in a thud, from the ceiling of a heavily trafficked main hallway. If the Building were open, innocent people would have been killed.”
Online backlash and concerns
Commenters on Twitter have described the photo as showing how Trump is “finding new ways to be evil.” Others have pointed out that this could be a step too far for Trump. "Courts already decided demolishing the East Wing was illegal so every single person involved needs to be arrested if they even try," one Twitter user pointed out.
Another suggested that the huge card, with its easy-to-read large type, could be the work of Trump’s faithful retainer, Natalie Harp, writing: “It looks like an AI generated comfort meme from Natalie.”
Funding and allegations of damage
Congress has rubber-stamped a $257million (£191m) budget for the renovation of the Kennedy Centre but only on the condition that Trump’s name is attached to it. However, some activists have expressed concerns that the president could take a 'wrecking ball' to the building after what he did to the East Wing of the White House.
There have been claims that Trump has ordered the building to be deliberately damaged, with one witness stating under oath: “I saw a fork-lift … run into and hit the pillars on the building several times.” Several social media commenters have pointed out that Trump is more likely to be remembered for what he destroyed – such as the White House rose garden, its East Wing, and the notorious Reflecting Pool – than for what he actually built.
Lawyer Mary Kerry Kennedy, daughter of former US Attorney-General Robert F. Kennedy, said of the arts centre that bears her uncle’s name: “This is like so many other things that Trump has touched. It's a bankruptcy because he adds his name to it.”
