Kerry Kennedy is calling attention to the growing dispute over the Kennedy Center. The Kennedy family member announced a protest after Donald Trump renewed his threat to demolish the venue. Her message came after photos showed Trump examining a poster about the center. The development has added to the debate over the future of the arts institution.
Kerry Kennedy calls for a protest at the Kennedy Center after Donald Trump’s demolition threat
Kennedy, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel, shared details of the protest on X Thursday, September 17. She wrote, “Hands Around the Kennedy Center,” and gave the event time as 6:30 p.m. EST on Friday, September 18. She also included the Kennedy Center’s Washington, D.C., address of 2700 F Street NW. Her post included a link for people who wanted to RSVP.
The protest follows photos from Wednesday, September 16, when Trump returned to Maryland after a North Carolina campaign rally. Images showed Trump looking at a poster that appeared to show plans for the Kennedy Center’s demolition. Federal housing official Bill Pulte stood with Trump as he examined the poster aboard Air Force One. Pulte later carried several posters from the plane.
Trump renewed his threat to demolish the center if courts continued blocking efforts to add his name to the building. “For the Trump administration, for me to get involved and to take that on long term and to carry it, or to raise money to carry it, I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition,” he told reporters. Trump added that the center could close or get “ripped down” without that recognition.
The protest follows a federal judge’s September 15 ruling that blocked the board from putting Trump’s name back on the building. The board then voted to close the center for renovations. Kennedy’s “Hands Around the Kennedy Center” event gives supporters a chance to gather at the venue. The demonstration comes as the dispute over the center’s future continues.
