Trump plans two-year shutdown of Kennedy Center amid artist exodus

United States President Donald Trump says the John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts will close for roughly two years starting in July, a move he frames as the fastest route to a sweeping overhaul of the venue as cancellations by major artists continue to pile up.

Announcing the plan on Sunday, Trump said the shutdown would allow for “Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding,” arguing that ongoing performances would slow the work. He did not address the recent wave of withdrawals by performers and companies since he removed the center’s previous leadership, installed a board he selected, and added his name to the building.

“I have determined that the fastest way to bring The Trump Kennedy Center to the highest level of Success, Beauty, and Grandeur, is to cease Entertainment Operations for an approximately two year period of time,” he wrote on Truth Social. “The temporary closure will produce a much faster and higher quality result!”

The proposed start date is July 4, aligning the shutdown with the country’s 250th Independence Day celebrations. Trump said the plan is subject to approval by the board, which he now chairs. He added that concerts, operas, musicals, ballet, and interactive arts would impede construction and that a full pause was necessary to deliver what he called “the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World.” “America will be very proud of its new and beautiful Landmark for many generations to come,” he said.

There was no immediate comment from the Kennedy Center.

The complex was conceived as a national cultural hub and renamed by Congress in 1964 as a living memorial to John F Kennedy following his assassination. Opened in 1971, it has operated year-round as a public showcase for the arts and long hosted the National Symphony Orchestra.

Since Trump took over as chairman, the center’s once non-partisan posture has been tested. Several high-profile performers and organizations have pulled out in protest of the president’s policies and the changes at the venue. The producers of the musical Hamilton withdrew their show, as did renowned soprano Renee Fleming. The Washington National Opera recently said it would leave the center altogether, ending a residency that dates back to the opening. Composer Philip Glass also cancelled a planned performance of his symphony for Abraham Lincoln, saying the center’s current values are “in direct conflict” with the message of his work.

Trump has criticized some of the center’s programming as too “woke,” and his broader plans to reshape cultural and historical institutions have drawn scrutiny. In recent days, the Kennedy Center hosted the premiere of a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump, which set a box office record for the venue but received largely negative reviews.

How extensive the “complete rebuilding” will be remains unclear. Trump has described the structure as dilapidated and in need of a facelift. On X, Maria Kennedy Shriver, a niece of the late president, criticized the decision without naming Trump, suggesting the closure was a distraction because “no one wants to perform there any longer.”

The proposed shutdown fits into a wider pattern. Trump has already demolished the East Wing of the White House, launched a $400m ballroom project, pursued a triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial, and outlined plans affecting Washington Dulles International Airport.