Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick issued an emphatic defense of President Donald Trump's push to shut down the Kennedy Center for renovation, warning that the building is in such poor condition that a chunk of concrete could break loose from the structure and fall on people at any moment.

For months, the Trump administration and the Trump-appointed members of the famed performing arts center's board have fought for a long-term shutdown and renovation — an effort that some observers argue is a vanity project and an attempt to paper over how badly ticket sales have crashed in response to the building's MAGA takeover. The dispute has also turned into a broader fight over who controls one of Washington's most prominent cultural institutions, and how far the administration will go to reshape it.

A federal court initially blocked the first renovation plan, as well as the move to put Trump's name on the side of the building. The president has since threatened to demolish the building outright.

"This is for America, this is to create the greatest institution in America," Lutnick said in remarks shared on X. "The building is dangerous. People say, oh, don't overstate that it's dangerous."

"Look, there are chunks of concrete falling off the ceiling in the garage," the commerce secretary continued. "When it fell off last time at four o'clock in the morning, okay, you clean it up in the morning. But if it fell on somebody, that would be an unmitigated disaster. And if it falls on cars when you're in there, that would close the institution and create a horrible event. So this building needs to be renovated and restored."

Lutnick's argument drew a round of skepticism and mockery from social media commenters.

"They're gonna tear down the official memorial to an assassinated president because they can't put Donald Trump's [expletive] name on it," wrote political activist and podcaster Joanne "JoJo From Jerz" Carducci on X. "These are the worst excuses for people that I've ever walked the [expletive] earth."

Source: Raw Story