Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump's envoy for special missions, told Newsmax on Thursday the newly named Trump-Kennedy Center was saved by Trump.
The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted to rename the building the Trump-Kennedy Center on Thursday.
"We took [Trump] on a tour of the place, and the center was really in terrible disrepair," Grenell said on "Rob Schmitt Tonight."
"The roof was leaking. We didn't have fountains that worked.
"We had elevators that didn't work," Grenell added. "The place was crumbling."
"When you drove underneath it in Washington, D.C., the concrete roof was falling on cars. We had lawsuits."
Grenell said the maintenance of the center kept getting deferred.
"I believe it was almost criminal to just ignore the place for decades.
"All the people complaining today about the name change are the ones who actually didn't do anything for decades," Grenell added.
When Trump assumed leadership of the center, the institution was paying the staff with debt reserves.
"Financially and physically, the place was in disrepair," Grenell said.
The name change was about making the performing arts venue more bipartisan.
"It's got a new name," Grenell said. "It's the Trump-Kennedy Center, and I think it should be celebrated by everybody."
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.