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US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he would close the Kennedy Center in Washington for two years from July for construction work.
Trump’s announcement on social media Sunday evening follows a wave of cancellations since Trump unseated the previous leadership and put his name on the building. Trump did not mention the recent cancellations in his post.
Trump announced his plan days after the premiere of Melania A documentary about the First Lady was shown at the traditional venue. The proposal, he said, requires approval from the Kennedy Center’s board of directors, which is filled with his hand-picked allies. Trump himself is chairman of the center’s board of trustees.
“This important decision, based on the input of many highly respected experts, will transform a tired, broken and dilapidated center that has been in poor financial and structural shape for many years into a world-class bastion of arts, music and entertainment,” Trump wrote in his post.
Leading artistic groups have canceled their performances, most recently composer Philip Glass, who announced his decision to withdraw his Symphony No. 15 Lincoln because he said the center’s values
Earlier this month, the Washington National Opera announced it would move its performances from the Kennedy Center. It’s another eye-catching move following Trump’s takeover of the US capital’s premier performing arts venue.
A spokesman for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
