Kennedy Center Board Orders 2-Year Closure as Boycott Deepens After Trump Takeover
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 14
Kennedy Center Board Orders 2-Year Closure as Boycott Deepens After Trump Takeover
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 14
Summary
A two-year Kennedy Center shutdown approved Thursday would take the venue offline through a roughly $250 million renovation after audience boycotts and artists’ refusals to perform battered operations.
The backlash followed Donald Trump’s 2025 takeover of the board and efforts to attach his name to the institution, which the report says drove away core patrons, especially at National Symphony Orchestra performances.
Board members also moved to inscribe “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump” on the facade and rename the grounds “President Donald J. Trump Plaza,” despite a judge’s earlier ruling blocking a renaming.
The closure may give the NSO space to rebuild its audience offsite, but the report argues the center’s broader recovery by 2028 is unlikely while Trump remains tied to its leadership and branding.