Amid the revelations of the Epstein files, the president's threats to "nationalize" the midterm elections and the ongoing immigration crackdown, the announcement that the Kennedy Center will close might seem like a minor story.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration said the Washington, D.C., cultural institution would shut down after the Fourth of July for what it describes as "renovations."
Given the president's destruction of the East Wing of the White House last fall, this set off alarm bells among architectural historians and others concerned about his long record of damaging beautiful old buildings.
But the problem goes even deeper than that. In shutting down a vital center of the arts in the nation's capital, Trump is showing his desire to control American culture, echoing similar moves by autocrats around the world. Trump's frustration is about more than a canceled showing of "Hamilton." Like other authoritarian leaders who could not earn cultural legitimacy through democratic means, he is attempting to manufacture it by capturing the institutions that confer it.
The "renovations" explanation is a fig leaf. Trump is not improving the Kennedy Center. He is punishing it. This is a preview of Symone D. Sanders Townsend's latest column. Read the full column here. And don't forget to subscribe to "MS NOW Presents: Clock It," her new podcast series with Eugene Daniels on the latest political news, the catchiest cultural moments and how they converge. The first episode will be available across podcast platforms and YouTube on Thursday, Feb. 12, with new episodes dropping weekly. Listen to the trailer here. |
