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Trump orders Kennedy Centre closure for overhaul
Trump said the temporary closure would allow construction crews to rebuild and modernize the facility.
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Lalit K Jha (IANS) - Mon, 16, Mar 2026
- 16:34 EDT
- 23
Kennedy Centre / Courtesy: X/@kencen
President Donald Trump on March 16 announced plans to shut the Kennedy Center for up to two years for a major renovation, saying the landmark performing arts complex in Washington had been left in “very bad condition” by previous management.
Speaking at the White House during a meeting with members of the Trump Kennedy Center board, Trump said the temporary closure would allow construction crews to rebuild and modernize the facility.
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“The fastest way to bring the Trump Kennedy Centre to the highest level of success, beauty, and grandeur is to cease the entertainment operations for a two-year period of time,” he said. Trump said construction would begin shortly after a July 4 celebration at the venue. “After that, we close, and we start construction,” he said.
The president argued that keeping the center open during renovations would slow the work and make it difficult to carry out major upgrades. “As an example, it’s hard to show Shakespeare when you don’t have any seats,” he said, referring to plans to replace seating and upgrade the facility’s interior.
Trump described the building as structurally sound but badly maintained, citing rusting steel, aging air-conditioning systems, and other infrastructure problems. “Necessary maintenance has been ignored,” he said. “Everything from busting pipes and leaks to serious electrical and structural problems.”
He said the previous management had also left the center with a large financial deficit and declining programming. “The programming was very woke and out of touch with reality,” Trump said, adding that the facility had faced a budget deficit of “about $26 million minimum.”
According to Trump, the new board had raised significant private funding to stabilize the institution. “Last year we raised over $130 million to keep this place going,” he said. He also said the Kennedy Center Honors had generated a record fundraising haul. “With the Trump Kennedy Center Honors alone, we raised this year a record $23 million,” he said.
Trump credited Ric Grenell with helping stabilize the organization during a transition period and said a new operational leadership team would oversee the renovation project.
Matt, whom Trump introduced as the incoming chief operating officer and executive director, will lead construction and preparations for a grand reopening. “He’s a pro at construction,” Trump said, adding that the renovation would include new seating, marble interiors, and extensive structural repairs.
“When it’s finished, it’s going to be far better than it was when it was originally built,” he said.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, located on the banks of the Potomac River, is the United States’ national cultural center. Opened in 1971, it hosts concerts, theater productions, ballet performances, and the annual Kennedy Center Honors, which recognize lifetime artistic achievement.
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