President Donald Trump erupted at a Democratic lawmaker during a chaotic Kennedy Center board call on Tuesday.
That’s according to multiple media outlets, which reported that the president, who installed himself as board chairman, screamed at Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) before the panel voted to shut down the famed performing arts venue.
“It was f---ing crazy,” said one source familiar with the call, according to CNN. Another source told the network that Trump screamed at Beatty after she accused him of driving the Kennedy Center deep into debt.
“The president said the congresswoman had ‘never built anything’ in her life, while Ms. Beatty called Trump ‘ignorant’ and blamed him for the center’s financial problems,” The New York Times reported.
The confrontation came after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked the Kennedy Center from putting Trump’s name on the building. Beatty, an ex officio member of the board, brought the lawsuit that led to the ruling.
Trump also lashed out at Cooper during the call, CNN said. The president had previously called the Barack Obama-appointed judge “very hostile and conflicted.”
The Kennedy Center board ultimately voted to close the venue, pointing to what it described as hazardous conditions and urgent renovation needs.
Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that the building would close “immediately,” despite a court order blocking the shutdown.
