Barbra Streisand has sharply criticized Donald Trump over his efforts to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She called Trump’s actions to have his name included in the center “galling” in a post on her website.
She stated, “For me, and for so many artists, that honor represented something larger than a career recognition. It represented a belief in the importance of art to the life of a democracy. That is why what is happening to the Kennedy Center is so galling and painful to witness.”
Donald Trump recently said that the Kennedy Center could be “ripped down” if he did not back it. His administration has been in a legal struggle to have the structure renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center, but faced repeated legal setbacks.
How did the Kennedy Center dispute escalate beyond a naming controversy?
Continuing the post, Barbra Streisand stated, “You can easily imagine my indignation at seeing this revered institution become the subject of such a bitter struggle over one man’s name and unchecked ego.”
Congresswoman Joye Beatty, appearing on MSNOW, spoke about exactly how upset Donald Trump was when he was blocked from renaming the Kennedy Center. She described his behavior as a “tantrum.” She said, “I mean, let me just make it simple. It was the most unprofessional thing that I’ve ever witnessed.”
The center was established by Congress as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, making changes to its official name subject to federal law.
The blocking was followed by Donald Trump announcing on Truth Social that the structure would be closed. He emphasized that the much-touted multi-million-dollar renovation of the building should not begin unless he were allowed to put his name on it.
In a ruling blocking the effort, District Judge Christopher R. Cooper wrote, “Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing.”
