Donald Trump Announces Plans To Close Kennedy Center For Two Years, Says It Is Due To Renovations

Donald Trump announced plans on Sunday to close the Kennedy Center for performances for about two years, what the president said was due to construction and renovation.

Trump posted on Truth Social, “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. Financing is completed, and fully in place! 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. America will be very proud of its new and beautiful Landmark for many generations to come. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

But his announcement comes amid reports of slowed ticket sales and artist cancellations, particularly after the board of the center, which he now controls, deciding to add his name to the arts institution. Just last week, composer Philip Glass pulled the planned debut of a Lincoln symphony to protest Trump’s leadership.

Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed last year with only Republican votes, provided $257 million for renovations and maintenance at the center, which opened in 1971.

More to come.