Trump To Close Kennedy Center For 2 Years For Renovations
Trump To Close “Tired, Broken, & Dilapidated” Kennedy Center For 2 Years For Renovations - Page 2
On Sunday, President Trump announced that he will close the Kennedy Center to begin a two-year restoration plan starting in July.
“The Trump Kennedy Center will close on July 4th, 2026, in honor of the 250th Anniversary of our Country, whereupon we will simultaneously begin Construction of the new and spectacular Entertainment Complex,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. “Financing is completed, and fully in place!”
The announcement comes just after the prestigious arts center was used to premiere Melania Trump’s straight-to-DVD documentary Melania. According to the Hill, the president claims that a one-time, two-year closure of the facility would be the “fastest way to bring The Trump Kennedy Center to the highest level of Success, Beauty, and Grandeur,” as opposed to partial closures that would allow performances to continue.
Trump added that the plan to close the Kennedy Center was “totally subject to board approval” but the board is made up of all Trump’s cronies including the President of the Kennedy Center Richard Grenell, who took to X on Sunday note that he was grateful for Trump’s “visionary leadership.”
“I am also grateful to Congress for appropriating an historic $257M to finally address decades of deferred maintenance and repairs at the Trump Kennedy Center,” Grenell said.
“Our goal has always been to not only save and permanently preserve the Center, but to make it the finest Arts Institution in the world. It desperately needs this renovation and temporarily closing the Center just makes sense – it will enable us to better invest our resources, think bigger and make the historic renovations more comprehensive. It also means we will be finished faster.”
Several members of the Kennedy family took to social media to voice their displeasure following the announcement from Trump.
“While this trespass on the People’s will is painful, President Kennedy would remind us that it is not buildings that define the greatness of a nation. It is the actions of its people and its leaders,” former Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) said in a post on X.
Maria Shriver, John F. Kennedy’s niece, said the quiet part out loud noting that Trump is most likely closing the performing arts space after adding his name to the structure causing several acts to cancel performances there.
“I’ve determined that due to this change in schedule, it’s best for me to close this center down and rebuild a new center that will bear my name, which will surely get everybody to stop talking about the fact that everybody’s canceling… right?” the post said.
In December, the board voted to rename the center “The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” That same month, Trump became the first president to emcee the Kennedy Center Honors. This was after Trump completely overhauled the arts hub, adding his name to the building named after the 35th president and ousting several members of the board before naming himself chairman.
Since the full and complete occupation of the Kennedy Center, the president has had trouble getting anyone to perform there.
“Composer Phillip Glass just last week canceled a performance scheduled with the National Symphony Orchestra in June. Artists including opera singer Renée Fleming, banjo player Béla Fleck, Doug Varone and Dancers, Kristy Lee and others have canceled shows at the center,” the Hill reports.
Ticket sales have dried up, and at this point, closing the Kennedy Center is probably best for everyone.
See how social media is reacting to the renovation below.
