Trump snapped with ‘Kennedy Centre DEMOLISHED’ poster
US President Donald Trump has been snapped examining a poster depicting an apparently demolished Kennedy Centre, just hours before his administration told a court the building needed to be temporarily closed.
It comes as legal dramas continue to play out around the centre’s future.
Trump tried to add his name to the John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts early in his second term.
However, a judge ultimately ruled that only Congress could authorise renaming the centre, and Trump’s name was removed from the building.
This week, the Kennedy Centre board - which has been stacked with Trump allies - voted to temporarily close the building, citing “structural deterioration” to the courts.
The photo of Trump was taken hours before the court was told about the closure, captured by AFP photographer Brendan Smialowski.
Trump is seen through the window of Air Force One on Joint Base Andrews, examining a poster that appears to be headlined “Kennedy Centre DEMOLISHED”.
The president had warned earlier that the centre would “end up being ripped down” without his support, adding, “It’s in very, very bad shape, very dangerous shape.”
On Thursday afternoon local time, district Judge Christopher Cooper ordered the Kennedy Centre to provide at least 30 days’ notice in advance if a demolition or new construction at the historical cultural centre is planned.
The order came after a flurry of legal activity culminating in the temporary reprieve.
Earlier, the Trump administration has said the closure of the Kennedy Centre that began Wednesday would be temporary and last for seven days.
“Continued life-safety hazards to individuals who might access certain public portions of the building have created untenable risks to the health and safety of those individuals,” the Kennedy Centre’s executive director Charles “Matt” Floca wrote in a sworn statement filed in DC District Court.
Cooper ordered the administration to provide more detail on the temporary closure by September 23.
Officially closing the public monument violates a court order Cooper issued requiring that the Kennedy Centre remain open as a lawsuit brought by Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty proceeds through his court.
Beatty, who brought a lawsuit to stop the centre from being renamed, called the temporary closure “a plain pretext to justify shutting down the Centre permanently,” in a legal response to the Justice Department’s filing.
Following Cooper’s ruling on the 30-day notice, Beatty said she would “continue to fight for the rule of law and defend this memorial on behalf of the American people.”
Barricades have gone up around the Kennedy Centre. Rahmat Gul
More legal battles ahead
Trump has argued that his administration “should be recognised” for taking on the financial burden of fixing what he called “a mess.”
“For the Trump administration, for me, to get involved and to take that on long term and to carry it or to raise money to carry it, I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition,” he told reporters.
But even some Republicans expressed bemusement over the threat of demolition. Outgoing North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis called the idea “absurd” while Senator Katie Britt of Alabama said: “Look, I know that the Kennedy Centre for years has been a beacon for the arts. I believe in the arts,” adding: “We want to make sure that we preserve that and preserve that as a national treasure. I do know that the Kennedy Centre had fallen behind when it came to repairs and other things.”
Fences and barricades have gone up around the centre since the temporary closure began.
A few security guards were outside as construction crews worked outside the building, where a fence with white curtains had been erected.
Protestor Laura Bligh outside the Kennedy Centre. Rahmat Gul
Shortly after the administration’s Thursday morning filing, a group of eight architectural, preservation and civic organisations said they plan to file a separate lawsuit asking the court to provide independent protection and management of the Kennedy Centre – including potentially a full receivership, which would be a drastic move if granted.
“If the current leadership of the Kennedy Centre is unwilling or unable to exercise its fiduciary duty to protect the historic building and the grounds of the John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, the court should consider appointing a receiver or replacing that leadership,” they told reporters.
“The irrevocable loss of this iconic building - whether by intent, neglect or mismanagement - appears increasingly possible.”
The suit has yet to be filed, but the would-be plaintiffs said it would come soon.
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