Last month, the Washington National Opera announced it would move performances from the Kennedy Center in another high-profile departure following Donald Trump’s takeover of the US capital’s premier performing arts venue. file | Image Credit: AFP
President Donald Trump said Sunday he will close Washington’s Kennedy Center Performing Arts Center for two years for construction, his latest move to spruce up the storied venue since returning to the White House.
Mr Trump’s announcement on social media follows a wave of cancellations by major performers and groups since the president ousted previous leadership and added his name to the building. The post made no mention of Mr Trump’s recent cancellations.
His proposal, announced days after the premiere of the first lady’s documentary “Melania,” was shown at the center, he said, subject to approval by the Kennedy Center’s board, which he has assembled with hand-picked allies. Mr. Trump himself chairs the center’s board of trustees.
“This landmark decision, based on input from many respected experts, will take a tired, broken and dilapidated center that has been in poor shape financially and structurally for years and transform it into a world-class bastion of arts, music and entertainment,” Mr Trump wrote in his post.
Neither Mr. Trump nor Kennedy Center President Rick Grenell, a Mr. Trump ally, have provided evidence to support their claims about the building’s disrepair.
The sudden decision is sure to cause a blow as Mr Trump upends a popular venue that began as a national cultural center, but was renamed the Congressional “Living Memorial” to President John F Kennedy in 1964 after the slain president’s death. Opened in 1971, it is open year-round as a public showcase for the arts, including the National Symphony Orchestra.
After Mr. Trump returned to the White House, the Kennedy Center was one of the many Washington landmarks he tried to put his stamp on during his second term. He demolished the East Wing of the White House and began a massive $400 million ballroom project, is actively pursuing the construction of a triumphal arch on the other side of the Arlington Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial, and has plans for Washington Dulles International Airport.
Major performing arts groups have pulled out of the show, most recently, with composer Philip Glass announcing his decision to withdraw his Symphony No. 15 “Lincoln” because he said the center’s values today were in “direct conflict” with the piece’s message.
Last month, the Washington National Opera announced it would move performances from the Kennedy Center in another high-profile departure since Mr Trump’s takeover of the US capital’s premier performing arts venue.
The center’s head of artistic programs abruptly left her post last week, two weeks after being named to the job.
A spokeswoman for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
As Mr. Trump announced plans to rename the building — placing his name on the building’s main facade — he drew fierce opposition from members of Congress and some Kennedy family members.
Kerry Kennedy, niece of John F. Kennedy, said in a social post on X at the time that she would remove Mr. Trump’s name with a pickaxe when his term ends.
Published – February 02, 2026 05:56 pm IST
