Last Friday evening I attended the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with my wife and two friends to listen to a wonderful performance of Handel’s “Messiah.”
The Kennedy Center has been among the few places in Washington (sports arenas are another) where one can get through a day or evening without the confrontational and corrosive political language that has infected the city. Not anymore.
President Trump, with the approval of a board he appointed, has added his name to the building. Henceforth, or until a future president and board will remove it (one can only hope), the place will be labeled, if not called by everyone, the Trump Kennedy Center.
I recall the first performance in what has become Washington’s main cultural attraction. It was on Sept. 8, 1971, and the world premiere of Leonard Bernstein’s “Mass,” a work commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy. The Kennedys did more to bring high-brow culture to Washington than any other president and first lady. President Trump has brought nothing, not even close, that can match their contributions.
During the day on Friday, workers were already drilling the additional name into the outside of the building. The Kennedy Center website has been re-labeled “Trump Kennedy Center.”