Streisand Criticizes Trump Over Kennedy Center Closure

Barbra Streisand, a 2008 Kennedy Center honoree, condemned President Donald Trump’s handling of the performing-arts venue, saying his “unchecked ego” has turned the institution into a political dispute. The Trump-appointed board voted to shut the Kennedy Center after a federal judge barred the addition of Trump’s name to the building’s façade, citing financial difficulties and a potential bankruptcy.

Streisand wrote on her website that the center has long served as a major cultural venue and that the honor of being recognized there represents “a belief in the importance of art to the life of a democracy.” She noted that after the judge’s order, “a humiliated Trump ordered a large tarp placed over the façade, where it remains today,” and that the announced closure is framed by the board as a “major renovation.”

"The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has stood as one of America’s great cultural venues. Many of the world’s most accomplished actors, musicians, singers and dancers have graced its stages," she wrote.

"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 expressed indignation that the center has become “the subject of such a bitter struggle over one man’s name and unchecked ego,” emphasizing its original purpose to honor President John F. Kennedy and promote artistic freedom. She concluded by urging Americans to vote in the upcoming midterm elections.