By Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump will visit the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday to unveil its 2025 honorees for artistic excellence and tout a major renovation as lawmakers push to rename the venue for the Republican president.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, Trump teased the announcement, saying, “GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS.”
Trump also teased a physical overhaul of the center in Washington, D.C., saying he planned to restore it to the “absolutely top level of luxury, glamour, and entertainment.” No details were immediately available.
Since returning to power in January, Trump has sought to put his stamp on American culture and institutions to align them closer with his political and personal preferences.
His administration has ordered a review of some Smithsonian museums and exhibitions to “remove divisive or partisan narratives.” At the White House, Trump has added gold leaf to the Oval Office, paved over the Rose Garden, and embarked on plans for a $200-million ballroom.
Trump did not attend events at the Kennedy Center during his first term but has taken a keen interest in it during his second, vowing to overhaul an institution he and his “Make America Great Again” supporters view as too liberal.
He pushed out its chairman in February and took on the role himself, fired its longtime president, and installed his former ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, as interim president.
In a post on X, the Kennedy Center said its building – which opened in September 1971 – would undergo renovations thanks to Trump’s advocacy aimed at restoring its “prestige and grandeur.”
The arts facility also hinted at the 2025 winners: “A country music icon, an Englishman, a New York City Rock band, a dance Queen and a multi-billion dollar Actor walk into the Kennedy Center Opera House….”
Republicans recently voted as part of a sweeping tax cut and spending bill to earmark $257 million for the building’s renovation, conditional on the opera house being named after first lady Melania Trump.
Republican Representative Bob Onder in July introduced a bill that would rename the modernist building the Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts.
Trump last visited the Kennedy Center in June for a performance of “Les Miserables,” where he and his wife were met with a loud mix of boos and cheers.
Ticket and subscription sales have fallen since Trump’s conservative takeover of the venue, and some shows, including the hit “Hamilton,” have canceled their engagements.
Under his leadership, the center has sought to add conservative-leaning programming, including a show that Grenell has described as a celebration of the birth of Christ.
(Reporting by Andrea ShalalEditing by Colleen Jenkins and Rod Nickel)
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