Feb 1, 2026 - Politics & Policy

Trump to close "broken" Kennedy Center for 2 years

Rebecca Falconer

Woman walking a small dog in front of a large white marble wall with the inscription "The Donald Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts." — The newly renamed Trump-Kennedy Center. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

The Kennedy Center will close for renovations on July 4 for about two years, President Trump announced Sunday.

The big picture: The president's announcement comes after a wave of event cancellations at the D.C. venue after its name was changed in December to include Trump's name.

A board that Trump handpicked in 2025 voted unanimously to rename the performing arts venue, sparking criticism from President John F. Kennedy's family and other Democrats.

Driving the news: Trump said Sunday there had been a yearlong review into whether the center should be fully closed and reopened or partially closed during its reconstruction.

"I have determined that The Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding, can be, without question, the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World," he wrote on Truth Social.
"In other words, if we don't close, the quality of Construction will not be nearly as good, and the time to completion, because of interruptions with Audiences from the many Events using the Facility, will be much longer." he added.
"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."

Go deeper: Democrats rage over "Trump-Kennedy Center" renaming

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Trump to close "broken" Kennedy Center for 2 years

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