A view of the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on February 2, 2026. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images)
OAN Staff Addie Davis 6:51 PM – Monday, March 16, 2026
The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts Board of Trustees has unanimously voted to close the center this summer for a two-year renovation project.
During a press conference before Monday’s vote, President Donald Trump announced that the center would stay open through the July 4th holiday to host celebrations before closing.
“We determined that the fastest way to bring the Trump Kennedy Center to the highest level of success, beauty and grandeur is to cease the entertainment operations for a two-year period of time as we complete high-quality, really high-quality construction,” Trump said.
President Trump: “We’re going to have a little bit of a celebration. Not a big deal, but a little bit of a celebration. On July 4th, we’ll have a little party and then after that we close and we start construction.”
Following the start of his second term, Trump appointed new members to the center’s board and was named chairman. Last year, the board unanimously voted to rename the center to include his name.
During his statements, Trump emphasized the need for the renovations.
“It’s not even describable how bad this building was,” the president stated.
He explained that some alterations have already been made, but most of the renovations will take place during the construction period. Describing the building as “on the verge of collapse,” both physically and financially, prior to the administration’s changes, Trump highlighted the money lost each year and criticized what he called the center’s “woke” operational practices.
“We got rid of all of the DEI…brought back patriotic and family friendly programming and last year we raised over $130 million dollars to keep this place going. Otherwise it would have been closed,” he said.
“[The Kennedy Center] was losing so much money it could not have stayed alive if we didn’t come in as a group of people, and a lot of wealthy people that made a lot of contributions,” Trump continued.
Multiple media outlets reported that some artists and shows have opted not to perform at the center following recent changes, and that ticket sales have seen a decline.
Trump has hosted several events at the center, including the premiere of First Lady Melania Trump’s documentary, “Melania.”
The vote comes in the wake of a lawsuit by Representative Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), in which a judge ruled the ex-officio board member could participate in the Monday meeting, though she was not granted the right to vote.
The board also voted to name Vice President of Operations Matt Floca as chief operating officer and executive director of the center as President Richard Grenell is departing his role.
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