00:00Board members of the Kennedy Center voted unanimously to rename it the Trump Kennedy Center.
00:24What is your reaction to that?
00:25Well, I was honored by it.
00:26It's a board is a very distinguished board, most distinguished people in the country.
00:30And I was surprised by it.
00:32I was honored by it.
00:33You know, we've we're saving the building.
00:35We saved the building.
00:36The building was in such bad shape, both physically, financially and every other way.
00:40And now it's very solid, very strong.
00:42We have something going on television, I guess, on the 23rd, December.
00:48I think it's going to get very big ratings.
00:50And the Kennedy Center is really, really back strongly.
00:55It's a very bad shape, very, very bad shape physically.
00:59And we're also to get get Congress to put up a lot of money and other people to put up a lot of money.
01:05We had a lot of donors come in for record setting numbers.
01:07So we we saved the Kennedy Center.
01:10And I was really this was brought up by one of the very distinguished board members.
01:15And they voted on it.
01:16And there's a lot of board members and they voted unanimously.
01:20So I was very honored by it.
01:22A major cultural landmark is about to go dark.
01:27The Kennedy Center, America's most iconic performing arts venue, is set to close for two full years,
01:35following a direct order from President Donald Trump.
01:40And this move is already setting off shockwaves across the arts world, politics and the heart of the U.S. Capitol.
01:49Here's what we know and why this decision is so controversial.
01:54On Sunday, President Trump announced that the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. will shut down starting July for a two year renovation project.
02:06Trump claims the building is, quote, tired, broken and dilapidated, both financially and structurally.
02:15He says the closure is necessary to transform it into a world class bastion of arts, music and entertainment.
02:25But here's the catch.
02:27Neither Trump nor the Kennedy Center's current president, Rick Grinnell, a close Trump ally, has provided any public evidence to support claims that the building is in disrepair.
02:40This announcement comes at a time when the Kennedy Center is already in turmoil.
02:47Since Trump returned to the White House, he has removed the previous leadership, stacked the board with his handpicked allies and even made himself chair of the board of trustees.
02:59Just days ago, the center hosted the premiere of Melania, a documentary about the first lady.
03:07Shortly after that, Trump took to social media to announce the two year shutdown.
03:13Notably, he did not mention the growing list of artists who have been canceling or withdrawing from the venue.
03:20And that list is getting longer.
03:25Renowned composer Philip Glass has pulled his Symphony No. 15 titled Lincoln, saying the values of the center are now in direct conflict with the message of his work.
03:37The Washington National Opera has also announced it will move its performances elsewhere.
03:43And last week, the head of artistic programming abruptly resigned less than two weeks after being appointed.
03:51All of this at a venue created as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy.
03:58Congress renamed it in 1964 after JFK's assassination, and it opened in 1971 as a year-round public showcase for American and global arts.
04:12Now, that legacy is at the center of a political storm.
04:17Trump has also announced plans to place his own name on the front of the building.
04:23That move has drawn sharp criticism from lawmakers and members of the Kennedy family.
04:29Kerry Kennedy, JFK's niece, responded bluntly, saying she would personally remove Trump's name with a pickaxe once his term ends.
04:40The Kennedy Center is just one part of a much larger transformation of Washington under Trump's second term.
04:48The East Wing of the White House has been demolished.
04:51A massive $400 million ballroom is underway.
04:55And new plans are being floated for monuments, airports, and symbols across the Capitol.
05:01Supporters call it revitalization. Critics call it political takeover.
05:07And with a two-year closure looming, the question now is simple.
05:12When the Kennedy Center reopens, will it still belong to the nation's artists or to one man's vision?
05:19That story is just beginning.
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05:35Bye-bye.
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