In a trend already common in Donald Trump’s Washington, what began as a joke became an extravagant reality this Friday. It was when some workers began early in the morning (local time) to place on the façade of the Kennedy Center (KC), a great center for music and the performing arts of the American capital, the name of the American president in block letters, next to that of one of
They were complying with a decision adopted the day before unanimously by the KC board, whose members Trump hired in February, at the beginning of his second presidency. He did so under the pretext that the cultural center had been co-opted during Joe Biden’s presidency by the “ideology virus.” woke“The vote was not a surprise, given that the Republican had been playing with that idea for months. Nor was it to see to what extent Washington has been filled after his return to power with allies willing to comply without asking too many questions with Trump’s wildest plans.
It is not clear, however, that the movement is legal. The KC received that name in 1964 by a decision of the US Congress, so it is understood that any maneuver to rename it would have to come from that same solemn place. True to his impatient personality, Trump did not have time to wait, perhaps aware that the Republicans, who dominate both chambers on Capitol Hill, have
And that is how this Friday four workers climbed onto a mobile scaffolding to begin the task of placing the first of the letters, the “D”, for Donald, so that the center passes in fact from now on to be called The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. The complex, which hosts about two thousand events a year, whether produced by itself or by others, has several halls, but, above all, two: the symphony (with capacity for about 2,500 seats) and the opera theater (about 2,300).
The gesture culminates a year in which the president of the United States has frequently visited a place that he did not set foot during his first term, has given free rein to his passion as a decorator, ordering, for example, that the golden columns outside be painted white, has canceled programs that he considers contrary to MAGA ideology (such as the Christmas concert of the Washington Gay Men’s Choir, which was held successfully last weekend, far from the KC) and has ultimately put him at the service of his interests, also personal ones.
The world cup draw
Two events this month have perfectly exemplified the new normal at the performing arts center. One is one of the most anticipated occasions of the year there: the annual gala that honors prominent cultural figures, such as Sylvester Stallone or the musicians the disco diva Gloria Gaynor and the rock band Kiss. The other was the World Cup draw, which forced them to cancel previously acquired commitments so that the complex would be available for a week. That show, in which Trump received an award or rather, what remains of the Village People. The group performed YMCAthe president’s favorite song.
In recent months, there have been voluntary cancellations of musicians (Rhiannon Giddens) and actresses (Issa Rae). The soprano Renée Fleming and . And the company of dancer Alvin Ailey will take its annual residency to another theater in the city next February. There have also been declines among season ticket holders, and several analyzes by the American media have certified a drop in ticket sales that the White House denies. It may lack scientific validity, but any regular at the concerts of the National Symphony Orchestra or the productions of the National Opera, which occupy the two large theaters of the complex, knows that it is easier than before to get tickets and that offers to do so at a low price are also more frequent.
The news that the board had voted for the name change was given by White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt on Thursday, with a message in X, which could be read as another proof that the Trump Administration is rather at odds with reality. “I just learned that the Kennedy Center’s highly respected Board of Directors, made up of some of the most successful people in the world, just voted unanimously to change the name of the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center, because of the incredible work President Trump has done over the last year to save the building,” Leavitt wrote. “Congratulations to Trump, and President Kennedy, because they will be a truly great team for a long time!”
Among the members of the board, which is chaired by Trump himself, other names stand out without proven experience in cultural management, such as his envoy to Venezuela, Ric Grennell, his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, the director of the White House personnel office, Dan Scavino, the wife of the Secretary of Commerce, Allison Lutnick, or the second lady, Usha Vance.
The move to rename the KC is reminiscent of other decisions by Trump, who has not hesitated to break with the tradition and decorum of the office he holds for the second time by encouraging a Treasury Department plan to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the country’s independence, which will be celebrated next year, and by placing his face on a large canvas in the Department of Labor next to that of Franklin Roosevelt, the president of the New Deal, or on access cards to national parks next to that of Teddy Roosevelt, to who claims responsibility for the protection of these natural spaces.
A mass by , commissioned by to honor the memory of her first husband, served to inaugurate on September 8, 1971 a monumental performing arts center named after the president, which was actually the idea of Dwight Eisenhower, on the banks of the Potomac.
Starting this Friday, that place is also a tribute to Donald Trump ordered by Donald Trump himself.
