An unverified image of Donald Trump seated inside Air Force One and staring at a placard that allegedly read “Kennedy Center Demolition,” as he touched down at Joint Base Andrews earlier this week, is now circulating online.Cosmopolitan writer, digital strategist, podcast host, and producer Wynter Mitchell-Rohrbaugh commented under journalist and internet personality Aaron Rupar’s Threads post.“Evil, evil dude,” Wynter wrote.Wynter Mitchell-Rohrbaugh responds to the viral Trump image. (Image via Threads)On Wednesday, Trump spoke with reporters on a North Carolina tarmac about the future of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. He warned that the institution would be “ripped down” if his administration was not given the due recognition.“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,” the President stated.He further claimed the cultural center was a “mess” in the absence of his involvement and has reportedly “lost tens of millions of dollars, even hundreds of millions of dollars,” and compared it to Carnegie Hall in New York.Trump’s remarks and the viral picture came amid the rising tensions over his name being removed from the wall of the Kennedy Center.Exploring Trump’s feud with the Kennedy CenterAfter returning to the Oval Office for his second term in January 2025, Donald Trump fired Kennedy Center chairman David Rubenstein and several other board members and appointed himself as the chairman. He also brought in allies such as Richard Grenell to oversee the day-to-day operations.In March 2025, Grenell told U.S. media that his team was focused on bringing back arts and entertainment to the traditionally bipartisan institution that “actually sells tickets” while also enhancing its finances. He further argued that Kennedy Center would distance itself from “woke” affairs and aim to attract broader audiences.Around the same time, several prominent artists and advisors cut off ties with the institution, including Renee Fleming, Shonda Rhimes, Issa Rae, and Ben Folds.Rae had a sold-out appearance at the Kennedy Center which she canceled stating that the recent changes represented:“An infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums.”Likewise, Folds resigned as the artistic adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra and claimed the new developments at the Kennedy Center were “not for me.”Throughout the year, more such departures followed, including a canceled show of Hamilton. Unaffected, Trump and his allies told the press that the Kennedy Center building needed major renovations as it was suffering from maintenance issues.Tensions escalated further when the board voted to rename the cultural center as the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.The proposal faced severe backlash, including from JFK’s grandnephew Joe Kennedy III. He wrote on social media:“The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.”In February 2026, Trump announced that the institution would remain closed for two years and called it the Trump Kennedy Center.“I have determined that the Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding, can be, without question, the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind anywhere in the World. In other words, if we don’t close, the quality of Construction will not be nearly as good, and the time to completion, because of interruptions with Audiences from the many Events using the Facility, will be much longer. The temporary closure will produce a much faster and higher quality result!” he wrote on Truth Social.The POTUS continued:“The Trump Kennedy Center will close on July 4th, 2026, in honor of the 250th Anniversary of our Country, whereupon we will simultaneously begin Construction of the new and spectacular Entertainment Complex. Financing is complete and fully in place!”Donald Trump concluded:“This important decision, based on input from many Highly Respected Experts, will take a tired, broken, and dilapidated Center, one that has been in bad condition, both financially and structurally for many years, and turn it into a world-class bastion of Arts, Music, and Entertainment, far better than it has ever been before. America will be very proud of its new and beautiful Landmark for many generations to come.”In May, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that Trump’s name was “illegally” added to Kennedy Center and stopped the administration’s decision to close the venue for renovations. The following month, scaffolding and protective tarp were seen outside the building, seemingly to take down the current president’s name.Last month, the board found a loophole. Instead of renaming the institution, they proposed the inscription giving Trump credit for the renovation. It was called The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.The Board of Trustees also proposed that the surrounding grounds around the institution be named President Donald J. Trump Plaza.Earlier this week, they also claimed that the cultural center was on the brink of bankruptcy and also had safety hazards and voted to immediately shut down the main building, also confirmed by the POTUS via Truth Social.Meanwhile, the court blocked the board’s latest efforts to recognize Trump’s alleged role and include his name in the planned renovation. Donald, in turn, threatened to stop all future renovations/operations unless he and his administration were given recognition.