Donald Trump has unveiled another shrine to himself, giving Americans a first glimpse at plans for his soon-to-be revamped Kennedy Center.
But the upgraded version did not look much different from the current building—with the exception of some trees, a fountain, and clearer signage bearing the president’s name.
As the death toll from the Iran war rose on Friday and tensions escalated over rising oil prices due to the conflict, Trump returned to one of his pet projects.
“Two renderings of the new, highly improved, TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER!” he wrote on Truth Social, alongside two images of the performing arts institution.
The images were released after Trump announced in February that the center would close in July for a two-year renovation, costing about $200 million.
“I have determined that The Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding, can be, without question, the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World,” he said at the time.
But the decision followed numerous cancellations from performers and plummeting ticket sales.
Asked about the changes on Friday, one Kennedy Centre insider told The Daily Beast: “It’s disgusting.
“The building is being closed to break up the 19 unions in the building, cover his a-- for bankrupting the center… and because they don’t have sufficient leadership remaining to do the basic work of programming and producing performances,” the source said.
The center has faced a backlash ever since Trump named himself chairman last year and installed a loyalist, Richard Grenell, as its president.
But anger escalated even further after the president put his name on the much-loved institution, which opened in 1971 as a tribute to assassinated president John F. Kennedy.
Acclaimed violinist Hilary Hahn and cellist Seth Parker Woods were among the latest artists to withdraw from the center, following in the footsteps of Composers Philip Glass and Stephen Schwartz, soprano Renée Fleming, and singer-songwriter Ben Rector.
And last week, National Symphony Orchestra executive director Jean Davidson also announced she was stepping down.
“There’s been a lot of change going on, and there’s not a lot of communication,” she told the New York Times. “We are finding out things through the press—at the same time as everyone else. Like the center closing on July 4.”
Trump, however, has defended his decision to take over the center and rebrand it in his own image.
He insists the building is in “bad shape” and “pretty much everything needs a lot of work” to improve the visitor experience.
Proposed upgrades include replacing seats, new interior decor, and modernized performance spaces.
But the images of the exterior, which Trump posted hours after another six soldiers were confirmed to have died in his war, baffled some observers and enraged others.
“That name has got to come off ASAP,” tennis legend Martina Navratilova said in response.
“So… lights and American flags?” asked another social media user, somewhat unsure of what difference the two-year upgrade would make.
And another observer took aim at the president’s priorities.
“Six MORE men and women in uniform are no longer alive due to Trump’s war. And Trump is busy with posting renderings of a costly, renovated building,” they wrote.
