The Kennedy Center Still Stands, For Now
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Why is President Trump targeting the Kennedy Center and what sparked the controversy?
I can't read President Trump's mind. You know, it could very well be a win-win for him. You know, he either gets his name up on there or, you know, he has a potential to, as he has with, you know, a lot of other projects around Washington, you know, the White House ballroom, the monumental arch, to sort of literally and physically remake the nation's capital in his image.
It's Friday, September 18th. I'm Jane Koston, and this is What A Day. President Donald Trump hosted fishers, hunters, and anglers at the Rose Garden on Thursday evening and signed an executive order rolling back Biden-era public lands protections. He also said this.
I could have banned fishing. I'll tell you what, the power of this office is crazy. I could have banned fishing and driven Johnny right the hell out of business, okay? I think I'm going to do that.
Ha ha ha. So funny, Mr. President. The power of that office is crazy. Speaking of which, Trump continues to threaten the existence of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. We'll get to that in just a moment. In subjects Trump probably would ban if he could, the Epstein files. California Democratic Representative Ro Khanna and Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massey announced on Thursday that they have enough signatures to get a bill passed that would force the Trump administration to release more documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. However, that vote likely wouldn't take place until after the midterms. And as the Iran war rages on, President Trump spoke to Axios on Thursday, saying, quote, I have a big decision coming up.
Do I want to go in and annihilate them or do I not? It's a big decision. Anything could happen with me. I guess we're still doing this madman theory of change. Sure. Meanwhile, today, hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied in a government-organized show of defiance after months of war. The demonstrators took up arms, pledging their readiness in the biggest demonstration of its kind since the United States and Israel attacked in February. Because despite everything the Trump administration has said, the Iranian government is still in charge of Iran. But I want to talk about the Kennedy Center. After months of trying to not talk about Trump's obsession with the Kennedy Center, the ongoing court battle and Trump's threats to maybe just bulldoze the whole thing has forced my hand.
So joining me to explain all of this is Jonathan Edwards, arts and government reporter at The Washington Post. Jonathan, welcome to What A Day.
Thank you for having me, Jane. Appreciate it.
So let's go back in time.
How was the Kennedy Center created and why is it considered a presidential memorial?
John F. Kennedy assassinated in 1963. Congress wants to memorialize him. They create the Kennedy Center. So the Kennedy Center is technically a presidential memorial. Is that right?
That's correct. Before it bore Kennedy's name, it was National Cultural Center and it had been envisioned and created years before. As you mentioned, President Kennedy was assassinated in November and Congress within two or three months got right on it and renamed it in President Kennedy's honor.
So what does that mean in terms of how it's treated as a federal building? What does it mean about, say, renaming it, for example?
That's at the center of Democratic Congresswoman Representative Joyce Beatty's lawsuit. The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees in December, led by its chairman, President Donald Trump, and his allies on that board voted to rename it after President Trump, and they did so immediately. She's also a member of the board, and the board minority ensued very quickly, alleging that the very law that you mentioned is very explicit. It names this performing arts center and what became a living memorial to President Kennedy after President Kennedy and Kennedy alone. And in May, a judge largely agreed with her on that point and was also very explicit, pointing back to that law and said, hey, this is what it says.
This is how I'm ruling. Take his name off. And that happened roughly two weeks later.
So I have not been to the Kennedy Center since 2021.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why is President Trump targeting the Kennedy Center and what sparked the controversy?
0:00–2:56
2
How was the Kennedy Center created and why is it considered a presidential memorial?
2:56–6:24
3
What does the federal judge’s ruling require before any demolition can occur?
6:24–10:48
4
What structural problems and recent incidents have raised safety concerns at the Center?
10:48–14:03
5
Why does Trump want his name on a memorial to John F. Kennedy?
14:03–16:45
6
How did Trump’s appointment of Rick Grinnell and board changes affect the Center’s operations?
16:45–20:38
7
What financial challenges is the Kennedy Center facing and how have they impacted programming?
20:38–23:54
8
What are the next legal and political steps for the Kennedy Center’s future?
23:54–26:35