Topline
Barbra Streisand on Thursday published a scathing statement calling out President Donald Trump over the closure of the Kennedy Center, which she blamed on his “unchecked ego,” amid a court battle on the matter and the president’s threat to demolish the center unless his name is added to the building to allow fundraising for renovations.
Barbra Streisand speaks onstage during the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California.
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Key Facts
In a post made on her personal website, Streisand highlighted the history of the center and described President John F. Kennedy as a “true champion of the arts’ and the building as “one of America’s great cultural venues.”
Streisand, who was part of the 2008 annual class of Kennedy Center Honorees, said it was “galling and painful” to witness what was happening to the institution.
Pointing to a federal court decision ordering the removal of his name from the building’s facade, the musician noted, “a humiliated Trump ordered a large tarp placed over the façade, where it remains today. ”
Streisand blamed the center’s closure this week on a “thoroughly defeated Trump” and its “completely stacked board” of the president’s appointees and pointed out that “oddly” there was no discussion of closing the center when Trump’s name was still there.
She then expressed frustration that the center had become the subject of such a “bitter struggle over one man’s name and unchecked ego.”
Crucial Quote
Streisand closed her statement by urging Americans to go out and vote in the midterms, though she stopped short of urging them to vote for any party. Describing Kennedy as a “beloved president,” she wrote: “He believed that when the creative impulse cannot flourish freely, a society loses its vitality. Yet another reason why it is so important that Americans exercise their right to vote in the upcoming midterm elections!”
Forbes Valuation
Streisand ranked 71 on Forbes’ 2025 list of America’s richest self-made women with an estimated net worth of $510 million.
key background
Earlier this week, Federal Judge Christopher R. Cooper ruled that the Kennedy Center cannot move forward with its plan to inscribe Trump’s name on the building’s marble facade. The ruling noted that the board cannot “install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing.” In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the necessary renovations at the Kennedy Center’s main building won’t happen until a court reverses it ruling. Since then the president has threatened to demolish the center arguing that it’s in a dilapitated state. On Thursday, Cooper ordered the Kennedy Center’s board to provide 30 days notice before making “any changes” to the building’s construction plans, including its potential demolition. Trump’s handpicked board has argued that the president’s name needs to be added to the center for him to help with fundraising efforts for the rennovation.
further reading
Kennedy Center Ordered To Provide 30 Days Notice Before Potential Demolition (Forbes)
Rep. Beatty Challenges Kennedy Center Closure—Here’s What’s Next In Legal Battle (Forbes)
Trump Says Kennedy Center Renovations Won’t Happen Unless Court Lets It Inscribe His Name (Forbes)
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