President Trump says he is “disappointed” by what he saw while on his first tour of the Kennedy Center after naming the chairman of the performing arts agency as part of an unprecedented overhaul.
“It's incredibly devastated, like so many other countries in our country, and most of it is because of bad management,” Trump told reporters on Monday after touring the Kennedy Center and meeting for the first time as chairman of the board.
Trump, a former New York property developer, said he had trouble with some of the structural elements of the space and claimed that the Center spent his wealth in a basement “no one would use it.”
Although the area Trump refers to is unknown, the Kennedy Center received the award-winning $250 million expansion project in 2019.
“Looking around, I'm very disappointed. The bottom line: It has so much potential. And we'll work with Congress. …It's a very public facility and we do what we have to do,” Trump said.
“We're going to fix it, but it's really a symbol of our country,” he said.
It's the first time Trump has stepped into the space since Trump launched multiple members of the Kennedy Center board in February and announced that it would serve as its chair. He accused the prominent art hub of being too “wake” and appointed his special mission envoy, Richard Grenell, as interim executive director.
“We took over the Kennedy Center. We didn't like what they were showing,” Trump said last month.
“We make sure it's good and make sure it's not awake,” he said at the time.
Trump has joined the Kennedy Center by Grenell, where Second Lady Ushavance, his Chief of Staff Susie Wills, and Fox News hosts Lowline Graham and Maria Baltiromo and country music singer Lee Greenwood.
The Kennedy Center said, “It represents a very important part of DC and our country, and I think it's important to make sure our country is in good condition and is well represented.”
Before Trump made his visit Monday, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said he hopes to “restore the arts and culture that embraces American traditions and not disgrace it, as we have seen unfortunately over the past few years.”
In the President's “Business Developer Mind,” Leavitt said:
The extraordinary move to overhaul the Kennedy Center board sparked a fierce backlash. Several stars associated with the Kennedy Center, including Ben Fold, Shonda Rhymes and Rene Fleming, have finished their roles following the Trump acquisition.
Actor Issa Leh decided to cancel the appearance at this venue because he believes the sold-out performance at the Kennedy Center, which was due to be held this month, “unfortunately it violates the value of an institution that faithfully praised artists of all backgrounds through every medium.”
Vice President Vance was seen in a video jealous by the audience while attending a National Symphony Orchestra performance at the Kennedy Center last week.
Trump dodged the facility by skipping the Kennedy Center honors ceremony throughout his tenure, knocking down traditions in his first semester and skipping the facility, after several performers made comments against him at the annual gala.
Trump asked on Monday what he would tell potential audiences interested in watching the performance at the Kennedy Center.
The president announced that he was not a fan of “Hamilton” but had cancelled the Kennedy Center Run, which was announced earlier this month, but Broadway Productions said it “didn't do very well.”
“For a while, you'll see that it will improve very physically significantly,” Trump said.
“We're going to get some very good shows.”
