@bnbsbottlereturncorp: WOW: Hundreds of people wrapped themselves around the Kennedy Center on Friday night and dared Trump to demolish it with them still holding on. The human chain, organized by Hands Off the Arts, stretched nearly to the Watergate Hotel. Organizers said more than 1,000 people from 42 states RSVP'd. The crowd chanted "Keep your tiny hands off" as the sun set. The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington sang outside — its first performance there since a booking was canceled during World Pride. The building has been closed since Tuesday, when Trump's hand-picked board voted to shut it for a two-year rebuild, hours after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked the board from putting the president's name on the facade. Cooper ruled in May that only Congress can name the memorial; the lettering came down in June. Congress appropriated roughly $250 million for repairs. Trump says the work can't start until an appeals court lets his name go back up. On Friday he called the venue a dump and said his administration deserves credit for saving it. The center, running on a skeleton crew, laid off about a dozen more employees that day. On Thursday, Cooper ordered 30 days' notice before any major physical change, after Beatty's lawyers submitted photos of Trump aboard Air Force One studying a placard labeled "Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED." The fight is no longer about signage. Hundreds of arts workers have lost jobs. The National Symphony has no home stage. The Washington National Opera left after 55 years. Until the D.C. Circuit rules, the doors stay locked, the money stays unspent, and the only thing between the marble and a wrecking ball is a court order.

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Sunday 20 September 2026 14:59:37 GMT