“You can easily imagine my indignation at seeing this revered institution become the subject of such a bitter struggle over one man’s name and unchecked ego.”
Singer and actor Barbra Streisand has slammed President Donald Trump over his handling of the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. This comes after a judge has ordered that the administration cannot make any changes to the building without 30 days' notice.
“In 2008, I was deeply honored to be included in the 31st annual class of Kennedy Center Honorees. For me, and for so many artists, that honor represented something larger than a career recognition. It represented a belief in the importance of art to the life of a democracy,” Streisand wrote on her official website. “That is why what is happening to the Kennedy Center is so galling and painful to witness.”
The Kennedy Center has been the subject of a legal battle between the Trump administration, left-wing groups, and judges as the president has tried to rename the arts institution the Trump-Kennedy Center. He argued, "For the Trump administration, for me, to get involved, and to take on long term, and to carry it, or to raise money to carry it, I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition." He added that if something is not done, "it's going to close" and will be "ripped down."
Streisand continued, “When Donald Trump attempted to put his name alongside the late President Kennedy’s on the building’s entrance, the move was met with widespread opposition from artists and much of the public. A federal judge subsequently ruled that the Kennedy Center’s name could not be changed without an act of Congress, and Trump’s name was removed from the building’s facade.
“Yet the fight continued. After his name was removed, a humiliated Trump ordered a large tarp placed over the facade, where it remains today. The Trump-aligned board then relentlessly lobbied again to add his name, prompting another federal ruling that blocked their effort,” she said. “And now, a thoroughly defeated Trump has announced that the Kennedy Center is being closed for what the completely stacked board describes as a major renovation. Oddly, when Trump’s name was still on the building, there was no discussion of closing it!
“You can easily imagine my indignation at seeing this revered institution become the subject of such a bitter struggle over one man’s name and unchecked ego,” she added.
The board of the Kennedy Center recently voted to have the building closed, citing structural problems. The concerns come as the ceiling in the building partially collapsed.
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