Amid a staggering decline in attendance and with a steady stream of artists formalizing their withdrawal from the programming, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced on Sunday night the "temporary closure" for two years of the historic Kennedy Center in Washington. A time for extensive and costly renovations that he had not specified before, but above all to try to silence the critics and build a new base of artists willing to associate with the institution's new direction.
"I have determined that the Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for construction, revitalization, and complete reconstruction, can undoubtedly be the best performing arts center of its kind in the world," he explained. A few months ago, the president also unexpectedly demolished part of the White House to install a ballroom and party venue that will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, initially provided by companies and private donors.
On February 8, 2025, almost exactly a year ago, President Trump announced on his social media the dismissal of a large part of the board members of the historic John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and his self-appointment as president. Trump, who had been in office for just 20 days, also announced that he himself would choose the programming of one of the country's main cultural institutions, specifying, for example, that there would be no more shows with drag queens. "Under my direction, we will make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. GREAT AGAIN. I have decided to immediately dismiss several people from the Board of Directors, including the president, who do not share our vision of a golden age in arts and culture," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "We will soon announce a new Board, with an incredible president, DONALD J. TRUMP!"
Directing it, choosing and vetoing shows, and placing his friends and family was not enough for him. In December, the board, completely at his mercy and now without critics (all expelled or resigned), voted to rename the facility, adding his surname. "The board of the Kennedy Center voted unanimously today to name the institution as Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts," stated the institutional relations officer, Roma Daravi, in a statement.
He did not care about the bad image, nor the questionable legal basis, because the Kennedy Center was not simply an auditorium or an exhibition center, but the institution that Congress dedicated, in 1964, to the Democratic president. Washington has many historical memorials, such as those of Lincoln, Jefferson, the Washington Monument, and the Center is dedicated to the last assassinated leader.
NAME CHANGE AND TEMPORARY CLOSURE
To debut the new name, Trump forced the FIFA organization there for the next World Cup draw, with him as a special star, receiving an ad hoc peace prize to compensate for not receiving the Nobel and with some of his favorite songs playing. And hours later, he imposed his debut as the host of the famous and traditional Honors gala, to personally award the honorees of that year: Sylvester Stallone, singers Gloria Gaynor and George Strait, the rock band Kiss, and actor and singer Michael Crawford.
Today, the Republican president has taken a drastic step for an institution created in the early 1970s and that has only closed during the Covid pandemic. The numbers are very bad and the sole responsibility lies with the president. In October, The Washington Post, compiling and analyzing ticket sales data, estimated that in the previous months, 43% of tickets for regular productions had not been sold. In comparison, in 2022, 2023, and 2024, only 6%, 20%, and 7% had suffered the same fate. The analysis revealed that the decline affected the center's three main venues, the Opera, the Concert Hall, and the Eisenhower Theater.
"After a year of reviewing the Trump Kennedy Center, conducted with contractors, music experts, artistic institutions, and other advisors and consultants, to decide between construction with closure and reopening or partial construction while entertainment operations continue for a much longer period, working on the facilities and their surroundings, I have determined that the Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for construction, revitalization, and complete reconstruction, can undoubtedly be the best performing arts center of its kind in the world," says the president's full message. "In other words, if we do not close, the construction quality will not be as good as before, and the completion time, due to interruptions caused by the public from the numerous events using the facilities, will be much longer. The temporary closure will produce a much faster and higher quality result!
REVENUE DECLINE AND CANCELLATIONS
But it is not only the revenue and donations. The main problem is that dozens of artists have canceled their performances due to the center's politicization and the "assault" by Trump and his allies. One proof is that just four weeks ago, on January 6, the president celebrated on his social media what he considered a great management success, boasting of having revived the Center in a year and promising even more incredible results to come. "(...) at the TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER for which I have raised hundreds of millions of dollars to make it the best Performing Arts Center in the world. A year ago, it was in a state of financial and physical collapse. Wait to see it in a year! Like our own country, it will rise from the ashes. MAGIC!!!" he wrote.
On January 9 of this year, the National Opera of Washington announced its decision to leave the Kennedy Center, its home since 1971, in response to new policies that, according to the group, are unsustainable. Last month as well, composer Philip Glass announced the withdrawal of the world premiere of his Symphony No. 15, called 'Lincoln, which was a commission from the National Symphony Orchestra for its debut in June. "Symphony No. 15 is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, and the current values of the Kennedy Center are in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony. Therefore, I feel compelled to withdraw this premiere under its current direction," Glass told the board in a letter. The current executive in charge is Richard Grenell, who is also the president's special ambassador for special missions, such as negotiating with Nicolás Maduro, before his capture, the release of American prisoners.
Almost at the same time, the renowned soprano and Grammy winner Renée Fleming announced that she would not participate in a concert with James Gaffigan and the National Symphony Orchestra in May, citing an "scheduling issue" according to the management. But last year, she had already resigned as artistic advisor after the purge in the board.
The list goes on. The one who probably started it all was Hamilton producer, Jeffrey Seller, who in March announced that the Broadway musical phenomenon, which has been a success worldwide, would seek a new location in the capital, lamenting "a new spirit of partisanship". The actions of the new president of the board in recent weeks, he said, "show that contracts and previous agreements simply cannot be trusted."
Vocal Arts DC, after 35 seasons, canceled all scheduled acts at the theater "due to the significant decrease in ticket sales, frequent refund requests, and decreased donations." The Brentano Quartet suspended its concert in February. Like the Seattle Children's Theatre, The Martha Graham Dance Company, singer Sonia De Los Santos, or banjo star Béla Fleck. Stephen Schwartz, composer and lyricist of musicals like Wicked, Godspell, and Pippin, declined to hold his fundraising gala for the National Opera there.
Jazz figures like The Cookers and Chuck Redd have followed suit, prompting Trump and his allies to announce a lawsuit claiming one million dollars. This has not deterred Doug Varone and Dancers, folk figures like Magpie and Kristy Lee, Low Cut Connie, Rhiannon Giddens, Balún, or Issa Rae.