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PresidentĀ Donald TrumpĀ said Sunday he will move to close Washingtonās Kennedy Center performing arts venue for two years starting in July for construction.
Trumpās announcement on social media follows a wave of cancellations since Trump ousted the previous leadership and added his name to the building. Trump made no mention in his post of the recent cancellations.
Trump announced his plan days after theĀ premiere of āMelaniaāĀ a documentary of the first lady was shown at the storied venue. The proposal, he said, is subject to approval by the board of the Kennedy Center, which has been stocked with his hand-picked allies. TrumpĀ himself chairsĀ the centerās board of trustees.
āThis important decision, based on input from many Highly Respected Experts, will take a tired, broken, and dilapidated Center, one that has been in bad condition, both financially and structurally for many years, and turn it into a World Class Bastion of Arts, Music, and Entertainment,ā Trump wrote in his post.
Leading performing arts groups have pulled out of appearances, most recently, composer Philip Glass,Ā who announced his decisionĀ to withdraw his Symphony No. 15 āLincolnā because he said the values of the center today are in ādirect conflictā with the message of the piece.
Earlier this month, the Washington National OperaĀ announcedĀ that it will move performances away fromĀ the Kennedy CenterĀ in another high-profile departure following Trumpās takeover of the U.S. capitalās leading performing arts venue.
A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
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