Trump seen with ‘Kennedy Center demolished’ poster as his lawyers tell judge of damage to arts building to justify closure
CNN
By Sunlen Serfaty, Katelyn Polantz, Kit Maher, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump was pictured reviewing a poster that appears to read, “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED,” hours before his administration told a judge the arts institution had to be closed due to “structural deterioration” it characterized as posing “untenable risks” to safety.
The images were captured through the window of Air Force One on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews as a dramatic legal battle plays out in court over the fate of the institution. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment on what Trump was reviewing and what exactly it said.
In a filing submitted on Thursday morning, the administration said the closure of the Kennedy Center that began yesterday would be temporary and last for seven days.
“As the official responsible for the executive operations of the building, I determined that continued life-safety hazards to individuals who might access certain public portions of the building have created untenable risks to the health and safety of those individuals,” the Kennedy Center’s executive director Charles “Matt” Floca wrote in a sworn statement filed in DC District Court.
The president had warned earlier Wednesday that the Kennedy Center would “end up being ripped down” without his support, adding, “It’s in very, very bad shape, very dangerous shape.”
The institution’s board of trustees had voted this week to close the doors of the Kennedy Center.
However, officially closing the public monument violates a court order Cooper issued requiring that the Kennedy Center remain open as a lawsuit brought by Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty proceeds through his court.
Beatty, who brought a lawsuit to stop the center from being renamed, went to the judge Wednesday after a member of her legal team was denied entry to the main building and “was informed by several security staff members that the building is currently closed to the public,” her attorneys said in a court filing.
Lawyers for Beatty also included Trump’s latest comments about the center and the photo circulating of him reviewing a poster on Air Force One in a new Thursday court filing.
‘Temporary’ closure
The Justice Department argued on Thursday that since the closure is temporary, and the Kennedy Center board continues to pursue restoration and renovation, “there is no emergency caused by Defendants’ temporary closure of the Center.”
“The only emergency is the risk to the public and the Center’s employees and artists if it remained fully open without further safety assessment,” it said.
As part of its filing, the administration included an email Floca sent to Kennedy Center staff on Wednesday. It said that damage inside the building happened during a severe storm in Washington, DC, on September 4, and that the resulting destruction caused “imminent life-safety risks,” prompting the one-week building closure.
“A large section of water-damaged plaster detached from the Grand Foyer ceiling and fell approximately 60 feet to the floor,” he wrote.
A battle continues
When CNN visited on Wednesday, no signage was visible indicating any change of status to the main building – despite the fences and barricades over the doors.
A few security guards were outside as construction crews worked outside the building, where a fence with white curtains had been erected.
Outside the main building, the digital advertising boards still hype upcoming shows, and a landscaper was pruning the hedges. Employees came and went through a parking garage entrance. One of them told CNN that their badge worked for getting into the building – but only on the side doors.
A lone protestor stood outside with a sign that said: “There is still an injunction, remember?” And “shame on the Trump board.”
Trump has argued that his administration “should be recognized” for taking on the financial burden of fixing what he called “a mess.”
“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.
The relative calm of the scene at the center belied the drama that would continue to play out over the course of the day.
Meanwhile, an annex of the Kennedy Center, a separate arts space known as The Reach, remains open.
On Wednesday, the song “Jolene” was being played. A Dolly Parton celebration is planned for September 25.
When asked if it will remain open, a worker there replied, dryly: “We have no idea.”
CNN’s Boer Deng contributed to this story.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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