Broadway legend Pattie LuPone has delivered a blistering public rebuke of Donald Trump, urging audiences to oppose the planned reconstruction of Washington’s Kennedy Center.
Speaking from the stage at Carnegie Hall following a concert on Monday night, the 76 year old three time Tony Award winner accused the president of threatening one of the nation’s most important cultural institutions. LuPone referred to Trump as a “buffoon” and implored the audience to take action.
“This is now about the Kennedy Center,” LuPone said. “It’s over time for us to rise up and speak. He cannot, cannot, cannot touch the Kennedy Center.”
Her comments came just one day after Trump announced that the Kennedy Center would close for two years to undergo what he described as “Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding.” According to the president, the $200 million project is scheduled to begin in July and will involve major structural changes, although he has insisted the building will not be fully demolished.
“I’m not ripping it down,” Trump said on Monday. “We’ll be using the steel, so we’re using the structure,” while confirming that some of the venue’s marble features would be removed.
The announcement follows months of turmoil at the historic arts centre. Since Trump assumed control of the Kennedy Center last February and initiated a rebrand, at least 27 artists and organisations have withdrawn from scheduled appearances. Those cancellations include works by Hamilton, composer Philip Glass, and the Washington National Opera.
LuPone framed the issue as one that extends far beyond a single building, arguing that the arts are central to national identity.
“Art is the soul of the nation,” she told the audience. “When was the last time you heard the words art and culture in a conversation in this country? We have to elevate it, and one of the ways we do that is by keeping the buildings standing.”
The performer has been an outspoken critic of Trump for nearly a decade. During a Tony Awards red carpet interview in 2017, LuPone said she would refuse to perform if Trump attended one of her shows. In a more recent interview with The New Yorker, she expressed anger at what she described as the “Trumpified Kennedy Center,” remarks that have resurfaced amid the current controversy.
Despite the backlash, Trump has maintained that the reconstruction will ultimately preserve the venue’s legacy, even as artists and audiences continue to voice concerns about the future of one of America’s most significant cultural landmarks.
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