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President Donald Trump said Sunday that he will move to close Washington’s Kennedy Center for two years starting in July for construction, describing the plan as part of his effort to remake the storied venue after returning to the White House. Trump said the center would close on July 4, the day he said construction would begin.
Trump’s announcement came after a series of high-profile cancellations by major performing artists and organizations, following the president’s ouster of the previous leadership and after he added his name to the Kennedy Center. Trump did not mention those recent cancellations in his social media post, which laid out the shutdown timing and the administration’s justification for it.
In his post, Trump said the decision was based on input from “Highly Respected Experts” and argued that it would take what he described as a “tired, broken, and dilapidated” center and turn it into what he called a “World Class Bastion of Arts, Music, and Entertainment.” The president said the center’s closure would be subject to approval by the Kennedy Center board of trustees, a board he chairs.
Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell, a Trump ally, said the shutdown would be brief and said it “desperately needs this renovation.” Grenell said the closure would allow the administration to invest more comprehensively and finish renovations faster, adding that Congress had approved funds for repairs. A Kennedy Center spokesperson was not immediately reached for comment.
The Kennedy Center has faced more than just operational questions as Trump’s influence over the institution has grown. The center began as a national cultural venue and was later renamed as a “living memorial” to President John F. Kennedy in 1964. It opened in 1971 and has been open year-round as a public showcase for the arts, including the National Symphony Orchestra.
Since Trump returned to office, the Kennedy Center has become one of many Washington-area projects he has sought to overhaul, according to the report. The article cited Trump’s demolition of the East Wing of the White House and a $400 million ballroom project, along with plans for a triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial and future work connected to Washington Dulles International Airport.
In the broader arts world, prominent groups have pulled out of appearances at the Kennedy Center, including composer Philip Glass, who said his decision to withdraw his Symphony No. 15 “Lincoln” came because he viewed the center’s current values as in direct conflict with the message of the piece. The report also said the Washington National Opera announced last month it would move performances away from the Kennedy Center in another prominent departure following Trump’s takeover.
The announcement also drew reaction from Kennedy family members who have criticized the president’s efforts to rename the venue to place his name ahead of John F. Kennedy’s. Kerry Kennedy said on X at the time that she would remove Trump’s name herself with a pickax when the term ends, while Maria Shriver called it “beyond comprehension” that the president sought to rename a memorial dedicated to her uncle. Late Sunday evening, Shriver posted another comment suggesting the closure was intended to deflect from performer cancellations.
Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and ex-officio trustee of the center’s board, sued in December arguing that “only Congress has the authority to rename the Kennedy Center.” On Sunday, Beatty said Trump “has acted with total disregard for Congress,” which she said allocates funds to the center. Beatty also questioned what she said would come next for artists and the building itself, arguing that remodeling the premises would not restore what the Kennedy Center used to be and that artists were rejecting an attempted takeover.