Trump’s Kennedy Center Humiliation Finally Laid Bare in New Pictures
New photos have exposed the freshly Trump-free facade of the Kennedy Center, which his administration has been desperate to hide.
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The president added his name to the front of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 19 last year, following a vote to rename the building by his hand-picked board of trustees.
However, after a federal court ruling found the alteration was illegal without congressional approval, his name was removed from the building on June 13.
The change has been hidden by scaffolding and tarps installed by the once-prestigious arts venue, with security guards blocking any view of the exterior.
The new photos, obtained by the Daily Beast from Hands Off the Arts, shows two rows of blank spare panels where Trump’s name used to be, with the top of the black letters spelling out Kennedy’s name visible.
The pictures, according to the activist group, were taken last week. The group has been vocal in calling out the threat to the Kennedy Center from Trump, claiming he wants to “demolish the building and fire hundreds of workers.”
“Tonight, there is a tarp that is covering the bare marble that these photos reveal to the world,” co-founder Mallory Miller told the Daily Beast.
“They do not want you to see them and that’s exactly why they’re important! These photos are proof that the power of the people is winning.”
The Washington Post was first to report on the new pictures on Monday.
Miller told the Daily Beast that the 2,200-strong group acquired the photos through their network of community members.
“Our ethos is in building community and organizing for power,” she said. “We’ve built the trust it takes to have risky assets like these photos come to light through deliberate, respectful coalition building over the past 17 months.”
She added, “This is in stark contrast to the wrecking ball the chairman has taken to the Kennedy Center, claiming it has somehow been a period of renewal.”
Last week, the White House claimed the new facade was being covered for maintenance reasons.
“The scaffolding and tarp will remain up as crews address maintenance needs of the marble and soffit panels,” spokeswoman Roma Daravi told The New York Times.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and the Kennedy Center for comment.
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Ohio Democrat Joyce Beatty, who helped challenge Trump’s Kennedy Center overhaul in court, accused the president of trying to hide an embarrassing defeat.
“Donald Trump is embarrassed,” Beatty said in a statement to the Times.
“He lost in court, his name came down, and now he is trying to hide the result from the public.”
Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin called the situation “a literal cover-up.”
“Trump and his team got caught vandalizing federal property by posting graffiti with his name on the Kennedy Center and a judge shut them down,” he said.
Actor Tommy Gedrich, who is currently appearing in Moulin Rouge! The Musicalat the venue, also questioned the explanation.
“I think it doesn’t take that long to preserve marble, but also what do I know about preserving marble?” he told the Times.
Hands Off the Arts is actively fighting to stop the closure of the Kennedy Center, which was originally scheduled to take place on July 5 for two years of renovations at Trump’s request .
That was also overruled by a federal judge, with board members saying it will remain open, but will not resume any programming, according to Playbill. The board said Judge Christopher R. Cooper’s filing from June 19 did not explicitly require them to increase staffing or continue to program new shows.
The filing also said that the Board will vote in mid-July on several options for capital repair and construction.
Hands Off the Arts’ website said the group seeks to “support the artist and workers who are fighting to keep our stages, screens and galleries free. Free from government control, censorship, and the erasure of whole cultures from view.”
It adds it wants to “stop, and finally reverse the trend of partisan interference in the arts.”
After Trump installed loyalists on the Kennedy Center board in February last year, the venue suffered a string of cancellations by performers seeking to distance themselves from the center and its MAGA connections.
That included Philip Glass, Issa Rae and the national tour of the musical Hamilton, while the Washington National Opera cut ties with the venue.
The Opera, which had been the venue’s longest-running resident, is currently suing the Kennedy Center, saying the latter has refused to turn over $17 million in donations that had been earmarked for the opera company.
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