Barbra Streisand
Role at the time: Singer and actor and 2008 Kennedy Center honoree, in a statement on her official website
Statement summary
In a statement posted on her official website, singer and 2008 Kennedy Center honoree Barbra Streisand said there was "no discussion of closing" the Kennedy Center while Trump’s name was on the building, and expressed indignation at seeing the institution become "the subject of such a bitter struggle over one man’s name and unchecked ego." The statement addresses the fight over Trump’s name and the announced closure in general terms.
“And now, a thoroughly defeated Trump has announced that the Kennedy Center is being closed for what the completely stacked board describes as a major renovation. Oddly, when Trump’s name was still on the building, there was no discussion of closing it! You can easily imagine my indignation at seeing this revered institution become the subject of such a bitter struggle over one man’s name and unchecked ego.”
Why we used this label
Streisand expresses criticism of the closure as bound up with the naming fight: she says there was no discussion of closing the building while Trump’s name was on it and voices indignation at the institution becoming the subject of a struggle over "one man’s name and unchecked ego," though she does not mention the post or the September 16 remarks. The closest competing label is “Challenged the characterization”, because she also disputes the board’s description of the closure as a "major renovation". That loses because the passage goes on to express a clear condemnation of the name-driven fight rather than only disputing a description.