President Trump does not rule out demolishing the Kennedy Center in the US — The Hill
US President Donald Trump said he is not committing to ruling out the possible demolition of the Kennedy Center in Washington. In an interview with Time magazine, he was asked whether he guarantees that he will not demolish the building without Congress's consent. Trump replied that he gives no such commitments, and that further developments will depend on court proceedings, The Hill reports.
Dispute over the building's name
Trump said that the administration should be recognized if he restores the center and agrees to allocate $100 million annually during his lifetime so that the institution remains open to the public. He also said he is ready to “save” the institution, but considers its condition to be very poor.
The Kennedy Center board last month decided to immediately close the main building for repairs. Center officials said the institution faced “imminent financial collapse within weeks” and that the building was unsafe for continued operation.
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A ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is expected on the possibility of adding Trump's name to the building's name. The president's name had already been added earlier this year, but it was removed following a court decision. Trump previously said that repairs would not begin until the court rules on changing the center's name.
Statements by former employees
In a letter to Congress, former Kennedy Center employees accused management of halting planned waterproofing work at the beginning of the year. Their lawyer, David Seide, said that the center's executive director, Matt Floka, had known about the problems for years but canceled the repairs despite Congress allocating millions of dollars for renovations.
The letter's authors also claim that Floka redirected funds intended for repairs to unplanned cosmetic changes, including painting the columns of the main building white at Trump's request. Floka rejected the allegations, saying that the safety of visitors, artists, and employees is the top priority. According to him, the center had known for years about leaks in the roof canopy, but the scale of the damage inside the structure became clear only this summer.
