WASHINGTON – President Trump said he was “disappointed” in the Kennedy Center state on Monday's first tour since appointing director of the Washington, D.C. Events Center.
“The Kennedy Center, like so many in our country, is incredibly devastated for management, Trump told reporters at the National Cultural Center.
“So I look around and feel very disappointed. The bottom line is that it has a huge potential.”
Trump had problems with the exterior of the pillars outside, the exterior of the room, which was a “waste of money” in the “basin,” and some of the structural aspects of the building.
The Kennedy Center received a major $250 million reconstruction project in 2019, when it expanded the rooms in the 1971 building.
The president said the venue was “a very large part of Washington, D.C. fabric” and he would ask Congress to give money to “save the structure” of the building.
Trump also expressed his dissatisfaction with people working at the Kennedy Center and the massive price tag for certain events, with Lee Greenwood saying he would like to sing a board meeting song on Monday, but the center will cost him $30,000 to “run the piano” and prepare the stage.
He said financial waste and the bureaucracy are national symbols.
“This is a very important part of DC and I think it's important to make sure our country is in good condition and is well represented,” Trump continued.
“When people see this, I've heard for a long time that they're coming here, and when they come here, they're very disappointed. I want them to be excited.”
Efforts to renovate the Kennedy Center are part of Trump's larger agenda to “clean up” DC by cracking down on crime, removing homeless camps, and dismantling the Black Living Issues Square.
He said the musical “Les Micerables” has come to the centre and performance there will improve over time.
