WASHINGTON—President Trump said the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts would close for two years for renovations, a move he said would turn the revered national cultural institution into a “new and spectacular entertainment complex.”
John F. Kennedy walks past the Center for the Performing Arts after the Kennedy Center Board decided to rename the institution to the Trump-Kennedy Center on December 18, 2025 in Washington, DC, U.S. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (Agency)Trump said the Kennedy Center would close on July 4 of this year, a date that coincides with the nation’s 250th birthday, and said the funding for renovations was “complete, and completely in place.”
“I have determined that the Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for construction, revitalization and complete remodeling, would, without question, be the finest performing arts facility of its kind anywhere in the world,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday evening.
The president said he debated keeping the center open during construction, but argued that a complete closure would “produce much faster and higher quality results.”
White House and Kennedy Center officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the scope of the renovations and who is funding them.
Trump said the move is subject to approval by the Kennedy Center’s board, which is dominated by allies of the president. The president installed himself as the board chair last year. Last year, the board voted to rename the venue the Trump-Kennedy Center.
The president has shown considerable interest in the Kennedy Center in his second term, making changes to its programming and moving to upgrade the venue’s facilities. But the center has struggled to fill seats, and some artists have canceled shows.
On Thursday, the venue hosted the premiere screening of a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump.
The performing-arts space has eight main stages and more than 2,000 events a year. It had an operating budget of $269 million in 2024.
Musicians and other artists have sought to distance themselves from the center since Trump began exerting more control over it. Composer Philip Glass withdrew his Symphony No. 15, titled “Lincoln,” from its world premiere at the Kennedy Center last month.
“Symphony No. 15 is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, and the values of the Kennedy Center are in direct conflict with the symphony’s message today,” Glass wrote on social media.
Write to Annie Linskey at Annie.linskey@wsj.com
