President Donald Trump announced Sunday that his ambitious renovation plans for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will require the iconic Washington venue to shut its doors entirely for two years, a move he says is necessary to deliver a faster and higher-quality transformation.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said the decision followed a full year of review involving contractors, musical experts, art institutions, and other advisers. According to the president, planners weighed the option of keeping the venue partially open during construction against a complete closure. Trump said that process led him to conclude that shutting down operations entirely was the only way to achieve the results he wants.
Trump, who has taken over as head of the board of directors, has already renamed the venue after himself and made “saving the building” a top priority, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. In his post, Trump argued that attempting to renovate around ongoing performances would drag out the timeline and compromise the quality of the work.
“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,” Trump wrote. He added that a temporary closure would produce “a much faster and higher quality result,” allowing the facility to be completely rebuilt and revitalized.
Trump said the goal is to turn the newly renamed Trump Kennedy Center into what he called “the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World.” He announced that the center will officially close on July 4, tying the date to what he described as the 250th anniversary of the country. At that point, he said, construction would begin simultaneously on a “new and spectacular Entertainment Complex.”
The announcement comes just days after the center hosted the world premiere of MELANIA, a documentary project with a reported $75 million budget that brought in roughly $7 million at the box office over the weekend. The event underscored the venue’s continued prominence even as plans move forward to shutter it temporarily.
Trump also addressed concerns about funding, asserting that “financing is completed, and fully in place,” though additional details were not provided in his post.
CNN reporter Julia Benbrook noted that Trump said the closure plan depends on board approval, but she suggested that approval is likely given the makeup of the board. “There are a lot of Trump loyalists on this board,” she said, adding that it would be difficult to imagine significant pushback.
Benbrook described the move as part of Trump’s broader effort to reshape Washington according to his vision. She also pointed to ongoing controversy surrounding the Kennedy Center since Trump assumed leadership, noting that some performers have canceled appearances, with some citing leadership changes as the reason.
Benbrook said CNN was seeking additional information from the White House regarding how the renovation will be financed, as questions remain about the scope and scale of the planned overhaul.
