Barbra Streisand makes brutal plea over Trump’s ‘unchecked ego’ amid Kennedy Center dispute
Barbra Streisand has condemned Donald Trump after he seemed to threaten to tear down the Kennedy Center following a federal judge's ruling that blocked his name from being added to the iconic building.
The legendary singer, 84, penned a message on her website on Thursday (17 September), calling the situation a ‘bitter struggle over one man’s name and unchecked ego’.
The famous arts institution is currently closed, with its future seemingly in jeopardy after Trump was seen reviewing a placard on Air Force One which seemed to read 'Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED'.
Streisand recalled on her website that she was 'included in the 31st annual class of Kennedy Center Honorees' back in 2008.
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“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. That is why what is happening to the Kennedy Center is so galling and painful to witness.”
Speaking about the centre's closure, she said: "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.”
She went on to say that President John F. Kennedy, whom the centre commemorates, would have envisioned it as 'not a monument frozen in time, but a living place where artists could challenge, inspire, provoke, and bring Americans together through the transformative power of the arts'.
She said: “The Kennedy Center was meant to pay tribute to a beloved president, and to advance his philosophy that artistic achievement was proof of a free society.
“He believed that when the creative impulse cannot flourish freely, a society loses its vitality.”
She finished the statement by urging: “Yet another reason why it is so important that Americans exercise their right to vote in the upcoming midterm elections!”
For those who aren’t up to date on the whole debacle, the Kennedy Center is the national cultural center of the United States and was opened in 1971 to serve as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy.
Since then, many famous faces have graced its stages, as it hosts world-class theatre, dance, opera, and music.
In February 2025, the US president, 80, named himself chairman of the center’s board of trustees, and by December, they voted to rename the institution after him.
As per USA Today, Trump’s name was added to the building in less than 24 hours.
In May of this year, his plans were thwarted when US District Court Judge Christopher Cooper ordered that his name be removed, as federal law makes clear ‘the Kennedy Center must be named for, and is meant to honor, President Kennedy alone’.
Trump’s name was removed, and the centre's facade was then covered with a large tarp, disguising the fact Trump's name was no longer on the building.
Despite another attempt from his team to get it back up, the judge ruled against it for a second time this week.
It comes as, on Tuesday (15 September), the Kennedy Center's board of trustees voted to close the venue down for two years.
He argued that it needs repairs, but by adding his name to the building, it will be able to secure renovation funding.
As per the BBC, he told reporters on Wednesday (16 September): "I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition because, frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down."
On Wednesday (16 September), the Republican leader was also pictured on Air Force One reading a placard which appeared to read 'Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED'.
In the latest update on Thursday (17 September), a US federal judge ruled the Trump administration must give 30 days' notice before any sort of demolition occurs.
Tyla has contacted the White House for comment.
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics, News, Celebrity
Madison Burgess