An AFP photo of Donald Trump examining a depiction of Washington’s Kennedy Centre apparently being demolished sparked widespread attention on Thursday after the President threatened to tear down the revered arts venue because he has been blocked from renaming it after himself.
In the exclusive image captured by AFP photographer Brendan Smialowski late Wednesday at Joint Base Andrews, the Republican leader was seen through the windows of Air Force One holding a placard with visible red text declaring: “Kennedy Centre DEMOL...”
The rest of the word was obscured by the plane’s window frame, but Trump has mused repeatedly about razing the Washington venue.
Below the words is a large picture showing a yellow heavy construction vehicle scooping rubble from a torn-down building.
Smialowski, who was photographing Trump’s return to Washington from a rally in North Carolina, said he was watching carefully as the President appeared to be sitting in a different seat than usual.
He said: “It’s an interesting photo. The Kennedy Centre’s in the news right now, and their future is in the news.”
The AFP images were viewed millions of times on social media and made headlines in many US news outlets.
They were also included as evidence in a court filing on Thursday by Joyce Beatty, a Democratic Ohio congresswoman and Kennedy Centre board member who is challenging Trump’s overhaul of the institution.
With his approval ratings in the low 30% amid discontent over the war against Iran and the rising cost of living, Trump has fixated on getting the Kennedy Centre renamed in his honour.
He threatened to tear down the venue after a judge ruled this week that his name cannot be added onto the building’s exterior.
Trump said his administration planned to carry out needed multi-million-dollar renovations, then would have to “subsidise it for years to come”.
He said: “I think that the Trump Administration should certainly have recognition because, frankly, if we don’t do that, it’s going to close. It’ll end up being ripped down.”
Trump and his handpicked Kennedy Centre board members have argued that its main building, built in the 1960s, is in a state of dangerous disrepair.
The facility was closed on Wednesday for seven days “to assess existing safety risks”. According to a Trump administration court filing.
It came after a staff member of the law firm representing Beatty tried to visit the Kennedy Centre on Wednesday morning and was stopped by staff who told her it was closed.
In her own court filing, the staffer described how the centre had been blocked off by gates and witnessed how a forklift had “run into and hit the pillars on the building several times.”
Trump installed himself as chairman of the centre, which is named in honour of former president John F Kennedy, a Democrat who championed civil rights before he was assassinated in 1963.
The venue’s board voted in December to call it the “Trump-Kennedy” Centre and installed signage with his name on it.
A judge ordered Trump’s name removed from the exterior and overturned the board’s decision to rename the institution.
Workers removed Trump’s name from the building in June but scaffolding and tarps have remained ever since.
The Kennedy Centre takeover is one of several projects aimed at stamping Trump’s brand on the US capital, including lavish gold trim in the Oval Office, a triumphal arch near the National Mall and a half-billion-dollar ballroom at the White House.
- AFP