President Donald Trump announced he wants to shut down the Kennedy Center until 2028 to complete renovations.
Trump said the iconic performing arts center in Washington, D.C., will close for about two years beginning July 4, America’s 250th anniversary. The announcement comes after several artists pulled out of performances at the Kennedy Center in recent weeks to protest the president’s takeover, which has included adding his name to the building, which serves as a memorial to John F. Kennedy.
The president said the move will be “totally subject to board approval.” Early last year, Trump dismissed several Kennedy Center board members and replaced them with his supporters. He was then named chair of the Kennedy Center.
“Therefore, 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 Sunday on Truth Social. “Financing is completed, and fully in place!”
Trump said the center will open its doors again with a “scheduled Grand Reopening that will rival and surpass anything that has taken place with respect to such a Facility before.”
“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,” he wrote.
The announcement comes just days after First Lady Melania Trump’s documentary film, Melania, premiered at the Kennedy Center.
The Independent has requested comment from the Kennedy Center.
Celebrated American composer Philip Glass is among the latest wave of artists who have withdrawn from scheduled performances at the Kennedy Center.
Glass was slated to premiere his new work at the venue in June, but in a statement shared to Instagram on Tuesday, he said that “the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony.”
Other prominent artists, including actor Issa Rae and musician Peter Wolf, have also withdrawn from their upcoming Kennedy Center appearances.
The cancellations are reportedly having broader impacts on the center’s programming. The Washington Post notes that the Kennedy Center’s calendar does not list any events honoring Black History Month this February, a huge departure from typical annual programming following artist cancellations and relocations after Trump purged the board of trustees last year.
The Washington National Opera also announced this month that the company is moving its performances from the center, where it has operated since1971.
The latest wave of pushback follows a White House announcement touting a board vote to rename the building the “Trump-Kennedy Center,” though only Congress has the statutory authority to change its name.
“Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future!” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in December. “The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur.”
The Kennedy Center has also faced staffing changes in recent weeks. Kevin Couch, the center’s vice president for artistic programming, resigned less than a week after taking on the role last month.
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