Trump says Kennedy Center could be ‘ripped down’ without his overhaul

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will "end up being ripped down" without renovations that he's threatened not to carry out unless his name is added to the side of the building.

Trump, speaking to reporters on Sept. 16, defended his position that he be recognized with an honorary inscription below the main sign of the Kennedy Center ‒ a move the center's board approved but a federal judge this week blocked.

"I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition," Trump said. "Because, frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down. It's in very, very bad, bad shape, very dangerous shape."

The Kennedy Center's board, composed of mostly Trump loyalists with the president serving as chairman, voted on Sept. 15 to close the iconic institution immediately to undergo two-year renovations that Trump has vowed to help pay for.

Trump and Kennedy Center officials have argued the center's disrepair after years of neglect has turned into a safety threat to guests attending shows. Congress has approved $257 million for renovations. But the Justice Department says without Trump’s additional fundraising aiming for more…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/