Barbra Streisand criticizes Donald Trump as president hints at Kennedy Center demolition

Barbra Streisand shared her perspective on Donald Trump and the Kennedy Center in a Thursday, Sept. 17, post on her website.

The Kennedy Center honoree outlined the history of the Washington, D.C., institution, writing, “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.” She added, “Re-naming the Cultural Center in JFK’s honor was a fitting choice, because he was a true champion of the arts.”

“In 2008, I was deeply honored to be included in the 31st annual class of Kennedy Center Honorees,” she stated. “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.”

Streisand stated that her personal history with the center makes it galling and painful to witness the ongoing large-scale shake-up led by the twice-impeached POTUS since his second term began.

“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,” she wrote. “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,” the Oscar winner noted, while encouraging American readers to vote in the upcoming midterms.

Billboard reached out to the White House for comment.

Streisand issued her statement shortly after a federal judge ordered that the Trump administration give at least 30 days’ notice prior to any demolition of the Kennedy Center. Fears of demolition arose after the president was photographed inside Air Force One reviewing a poster reading, “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED.”

Leadership stated that the center closed temporarily on Wednesday, Sept. 16, to address safety risks. The sudden closure drew suspicion because a judge blocked Trump’s latest attempt to rename the building after himself just hours earlier. Trump stated that day that the institution would be ripped down without his support and described it as being in bad shape and very dangerous shape, according to CNN.

Trump began his involvement with the Kennedy Center at the start of his second White House term by replacing much of the board and installing himself as chair. In December, that board voted to change the institution’s name to the Trump-Kennedy Center, a move a federal judge blocked in May.