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President Donald Trump says he will move to close Washington\u2019s Kennedy Center performing arts venue for two years starting in July for construction.<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump<\/a> said Sunday he will move to close Washington\u2019s Kennedy Center performing arts center for two years starting in July for construction, his latest proposal to upturn the storied venue since returning to the White House.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s announcement on social media follows a wave of cancellations by leading performers, musicians and groups since the president ousted the previous leadership and added his name to the building. Trump made no mention in his post of the recent cancellations.<\/p>\n His proposal, announced days after the premiere of \u201cMelania,<\/a> \u201d a documentary of the first lady was shown at the center, he said was subject to approval by the board of the Kennedy Center, which has been stocked with his hand-picked allies. Trump himself chairs<\/a> the center\u2019s board of trustees.<\/p>\n \u201cThis important decision, based on input from many Highly Respected Experts, will take a tired, broken, and dilapidated Center, one that has been in bad condition, both financially and structurally for many years, and turn it into a World Class Bastion of Arts, Music, and Entertainment,\u201d Trump wrote in his post.<\/p>\n Neither Trump nor Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell, a Trump ally, have provided evidence to back up their claims about the building being in disrepair, and last October, Trump had pledged<\/a> the center would remain open during renovations. In Sunday\u2019s announcement, Trump said the center will close on July 4th, when he said the construction would begin.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal has always been to not only save and permanently preserve the Center, but to make it the finest Arts Institution in the world,\u201d Grenell said in a post, citing funds Congress approved for repairs.<\/p>\n \u201cThis will be a brief closure,\u201d Grenell said. \u201cIt desperately needs this renovation and temporarily closing the Center just makes sense \u2013 it will enable us to better invest our resources, think bigger and make the historic renovations more comprehensive. It also means we will be finished faster.\u201d <\/p>\n The sudden decision to shutter and reconstruct the Kennedy Center is sparking blowback as Trump disrupts the popular venue, which began as a national cultural center but Congress renamed as a \u201cliving memorial\u201d to President John F. Kennedy in 1964, in the aftermath of the slain president\u2019s death. Opened in 1971, it is open year-round as a public showcase for the arts, including the National Symphony Orchestra.<\/p>\n Since Trump returned to the White House, the Kennedy Center is one of many Washington landmarks<\/a> that he has sought to overhaul in his second term. He demolished the East Wing of the White House and launched a massive $400 million ballroom project, is actively pursuing building a triumphal arch on the other side the Arlington Bridge from the the Lincoln Memorial, and has plans for Washington Dulles International Airport<\/a>.<\/p>\n Leading performing arts groups have pulled out of appearances at the Kennedy Center, most recently, composer Philip Glass, who announced his decision<\/a> to withdraw his Symphony No. 15 \u201cLincoln\u201d because he said the values of the center today are in \u201cdirect conflict\u201d with the message of the piece.<\/p>\n Last month, the Washington National Opera announced<\/a> that it will move performances away from the Kennedy Center<\/a> in another high-profile departure following Trump\u2019s takeover of the U.S. capital\u2019s leading performing arts venue.<\/p>\n The head of artistic programming for the center abruptly left his post last week<\/a>, less than two weeks after being named to the job.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center could not immediately be reached and did not respond to an emailed request for comment.<\/p>\n