Barbra Streisand expressed disdain for President Donald Trump’s “unchecked ego” on Thursday following his threat to demolish the Kennedy Center amid the ongoing legal battle to mount his name on its exterior.
“You can easily imagine my indignation at seeing this revered institution become the subject of such a bitter struggle over one man’s name and unchecked ego,” the legendary entertainer, who was recognized at the 31st annual Kennedy Center Honors in 2008, wrote on her website.
The Oscar winner’s lengthy, heartfelt missive, which charted the history of Trump’s effort to rename the historic performing arts center built as a monument to President John F. Kennedy all the way through his suggestion it could be “ripped down” if he couldn’t do as he pleased, ultimately acted as a call to vote in November’s midterms.
“The Kennedy Center was meant to pay tribute to a beloved president, and to advance his philosophy that artistic achievement was proof of a free society. He believed that when the creative impulse cannot flourish freely, a society loses its vitality,” Streisand wrote. “Yet another reason why it is so important that Americans exercise their right to vote in the upcoming midterm elections!”
On Tuesday, after a judge’s federal order to block the president’s effort to have his name on the exterior of the performing arts center, the Trump-approved board for the organization voted to close it, citing renovations and financial instability.
“Oddly, when Trump’s name was still on the building, there was no discussion of closing it!,” Streisand quipped.
Then on Wednesday, Trump indicated that he would only take charge of the renovations now that the building is closed if his administration was given proper “recognition” for their effort.
“For the Trump administration, for me, to get involved, and to take on long term, and to carry it, or to raise money to carry it, I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition,” the president told reporters. “Because frankly, if we don’t do that, it’s going to close, it will end up being ripped down.”
Emphasizing on Thursday the “importance of art to the life of a democracy,” Streisand expressed how the unfolding effort led by Trump was “galling and painful to witness.”
“It is difficult not to think about what President Kennedy himself would have envisioned for the Center: not a monument frozen in time, but a living place where artists could challenge, inspire, provoke, and bring Americans together through the transformative power of the arts,” she wrote.
Read Streisand’s note in full below:
In 1964, in the aftermath of President John F. Kennedy’s shocking assassination, Congress passed legislation designating the National Cultural Center as a living memorial to him.
The Kennedy family and other American leaders wanted a meaningful way to preserve his legacy. Re-naming the Cultural Center in JFK’s honor was a fitting choice, because he was a true champion of the arts.
Since then, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has stood as one of America’s great cultural venues. Many of the world’s most accomplished actors, musicians, singers and dancers have graced its stages.
In 2008, I was deeply honored to be included in the 31st annual class of Kennedy Center Honorees. For me, and for so many artists, that honor represented something larger than a career recognition. It represented a belief in the importance of art to the life of a democracy.
That is why what is happening to the Kennedy Center is so galling and painful to witness.
When Donald Trump attempted to put his name alongside the late President Kennedy’s on the building’s entrance, the move was met with widespread opposition from artists and much of the public.
A federal judge subsequently ruled that the Kennedy Center’s name could not be changed without an act of Congress, and Trump’s name was removed from the building’s façade.
Yet the fight continued. After his name was removed, a humiliated Trump ordered a large tarp placed over the façade, where it remains today. The Trump-aligned board then relentlessly lobbied again to add his name, prompting another federal ruling that blocked their effort.
And now, a thoroughly defeated Trump has announced that the Kennedy Center is being closed for what the completely stacked board describes as a major renovation. Oddly, when Trump’s name was still on the building, there was no discussion of closing it!
You can easily imagine my indignation at seeing this revered institution become the subject of such a bitter struggle over one man’s name and unchecked ego.
It is difficult not to think about what President Kennedy himself would have envisioned for the Center: not a monument frozen in time, but a living place where artists could challenge, inspire, provoke, and bring Americans together through the transformative power of the arts.
The Kennedy Center was meant to pay tribute to a beloved president, and to advance his philosophy that artistic achievement was proof of a free society. He believed that when the creative impulse cannot flourish freely, a society loses its vitality.
Yet another reason why it is so important that Americans exercise their right to vote in the upcoming midterm elections!
