Trump Promises ‘World Class Bastion of Arts’ as Kennedy Center to Close for Rebuild
D.C.’s performing arts venue will close for two years from July, following months of controversial board changes. Save to My Ocula
U.S. President Donald Trump has announced plans to temporarily close the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., marking the latest in a string of controversies involving the space.
On Sunday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that after a review involving ‘contractors, musical experts, art institutions, and other advisors’, the building will close for a two-year period from 4 July 2026.
‘This important decision, based on input from many highly respected experts, will take a tired, broken, and dilapidated center, one that has been in bad condition, both financially and structurally for many years, and turn it into a world class bastion of arts, music, and entertainment, far better than it has ever been before,’ the president wrote.
He went on to describe the project as the fastest way to deliver ‘success, beauty, and grandeur’, promising a ‘grand reopening that will rival and surpass anything that has taken place with respect to such a facility before’.
This announcement follows a host of changes made at the Kennedy Center since Trump returned to office last year, including recent plans to rename it as the Trump Kennedy Center and the removal of board members including chair David Rubenstein and president Deborah Rutter.
In February last year, Trump appointed several White House staffers to the center’s board, including Susie Wiles and Dan Scavino. The board then voted to make him its chairman.
At the time, Trump wrote on Truth Social: ‘At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN… Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured drag shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP.’
A growing number of musicians have cancelled performances at the centre in recent months, citing changes made by Trump. Last week, composer Philip Glass announced that his latest work would no longer debut at the venue, as its Trump-appointed board is in ‘direct conflict’ with the symphony’s message.
Producer and screenwriter Shonda Rhimes also resigned from the centre’s board of trustees in February, while soprano and actor Renée Fleming and singer-songwriter Ben Folds stepped down as artistic advisers.
According to the venue’s website, it is due to host the collaborative, large-scale visual art installation Steven and William Ladd’s National Scrollathon from 26 May to 7 September, as well as various live performances. Trump’s social media post made no mention of what would become of this programming. —[O]
Main image: John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C. Photo: Mike Stoll.
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