Trump Reviews Plans to Demolish Kennedy Center Amid Naming Dispute

President Trump was pictured Wednesday night reviewing plans to demolish the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, days after suggesting the building could be "ripped down" if he did not receive public recognition for its renovation efforts.

The images emerged shortly after Trump told reporters in North Carolina that the center was in "very, very bad shape" and had been "very badly maintained for 25 years." He added that "if we don’t do that, it’s going to close. It’ll end up being ripped down."

A photographer captured Trump on Air Force One examining a poster board that depicted the Kennedy Center with the word "Demolish" and images of construction equipment. He was reportedly with Bill Pulte, chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who is known for presenting ideas to Trump with visual aids.

The Kennedy Center's board, which is largely composed of Trump appointees, voted on Tuesday to close the main building for repairs. This decision followed recent events where plaster fell from the ceiling of the grand foyer after a heavy rainstorm. The center's acting president and executive director, Matt Floca, confirmed the building would be closed for at least seven days due to "acute risks to public safety resulting from continued structural deterioration."

One legal observer, Bridget Kennedy-Bailey, stated in a court filing that she witnessed a forklift repeatedly strike the building's pillars. Fencing has been erected around the structure, and surrounding willow trees have been cut down, despite the building's known asbestos content.

Trump had previously sought to have his name associated with the center. Congress approved $257 million for renovations at Trump's request last year. However, progress was stalled by a dispute over renaming the center the "Trump-Kennedy Center" alongside the late President John F. Kennedy. The effort was blocked by US District Judge Christopher Cooper.

More recently, Judge Cooper rejected a proposal to rename the area around the center "Trump Plaza" and add the inscription "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump" to the building. Cooper, appointed by former President Barack Obama, wrote that the defendants "cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing."

The Kennedy Center, named after the 35th U.S. president by an act of Congress in 1964, opened in 1971. Trump had previously overseen the demolition of the White House's East Wing in October to make way for a new ballroom.

![U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty speaks to people in front of a building with scaffolding where workers are removing a sign that reads "Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."]( "U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty speaks to people in front of a building with scaffolding where workers are removing a sign that reads "Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."")