Kennedy Center says "nothing is being demolished" as Trump says it could be "ripped down"

A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center said Wednesday that “nothing is being demolished” at the performing arts center, although President Trump said later that it would be “ripped down,” and photos showed him looking at a document that said “Kennedy Center Demolished.”

In court documents filed Wednesday by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio board member who sued last year to halt Mr. Trump’s changes to the Kennedy Center, a witness said he saw a “forklift run into and hit the pillars” of the building. The witness said, “I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.”

Roma Davari, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, told “Real America’s Voice” Wednesday night that “nothing is being demolished” and that people should ignore “the media that is saying that because no one has ever said that coming from the institution.”

The Justice Department said in court documents Thursday that the duration of the closure will be for one week, “unless extended” to address safety hazards.

In a declaration submitted by the Justice Department, the center’s executive director, Matt Floca, said that “acute risks to public safety resulting from continued structural deterioration … necessitated a temporary closure of most public spaces in the main building.” In an email to Kennedy Center staff that was also submitted to the court, Floca said that any extensions of the closure would be evaluated on a week-to-week basis.

“To be clear, this is not a decision to effectuate the Board’s separate vote to close the building for renovation,” Floca wrote in the email. “It is a distinct decision by management to address imminent life-safety risks pending the Court’s ruling on that vote.”

On Wednesday, fencing was erected around the Kennedy Center.

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Mr. Trump’s name cannot be added to the building. Shortly afterward, the Kennedy Center board, which is filled with allies of Mr. Trump’s, voted to close the center for renovations, a source said. Congress last year appropriated more than $250 million for the restoration. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who has been overseeing the case, must approve the board’s decision, but he has not yet determined whether the vote was lawful.

Mr. Trump on Wednesday night reiterated that if he were to raise money for the Kennedy Center’s restoration, his administration should be recognized — or its future would be in question.

“So 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,” Mr. Trump said. “Because frankly, if we don’t do that, it’s going to close. It’ll end up being ripped down.”

On Air Force One Wednesday night, Mr. Trump could be seen looking at a document that said “Kennedy Center Demolished” as he was returning from a rally in North Carolina. The photo was entered as evidence in the emergency motion.