Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump said he plans to close the Kennedy Center sometime around July 4th for what he described as a major renovation, estimating the cost at around $200 million. Asked if he planned to tear down the building, Trump said, “I’m not ripping it down.” He said the project would keep the structure and reuse some materials. “I’ll be using the steel,” he said, adding, “We’re using the structure. We’re using some of the marble and some of the marble comes down.”
Trump said the venue is in poor condition. “It’s in very bad shape. It’s rundown. It’s dilapidated. It’s sort of dangerous,” he said. “Things fall out, uh, fall out of ceilings.”
He said the renovation cannot be done well while the building remains open. “You can’t do the same quality job if you close it,” he said, describing workers trying to operate amid ongoing performances and foot traffic. “Every time I put down a piece of marble people are stepping on the marble. They don’t even have time to dry,” he said, recounting what he called a complaint from a worker.
Trump said the project is fully funded. “We’re fully financed and so we’re going to close it and we’re going to make it unbelievable,” he said. “Far better than it ever was and we’ll be able to do it properly.”
He said the upgraded facility would be rebuilt to a high standard. “We’re using the highest grade marbles, the highest grade everything and it’ll be brand new,” he said. Trump added that the building’s steel would be inspected because it would be exposed during the work. “The steel will all be checked out because it will be fully exposed,” he said.