The Kennedy Center Shutters for Now

The Kennedy Center will be closed, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday afternoon amid battles over the naming on the building, funding and renovations.

“The Board of The Kennedy Center today agreed, almost unanimously, to close the Building for Safety reasons, and so that it can begin the process of Reconstruction,” the president posted. 

“The closing will take place immediately, however, the Renovation and Reconstruction, which is a very large and complex job, cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board’s approved name,” he added.

“If the ruling is a negative one, which it should not be, and is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place,” the president continued. 

Trump added that the Justice Department will request “an expedited appeal” and said that there is $17 million fundraised by him to keep the center “afloat” financially. 

Earlier on Tuesday, a federal district judge in the District of Columbia ordered that the president’s name cannot be placed on the building, even though the board signed off on it, but the judge wants Congress to clear the move, according to Politico. The president’s name was already up, then taken down earlier this year.

“More importantly, the government’s assertion that the Center might not survive without President Trump’s name is beside the point for present purposes,” the judge wrote. 

“The Court appreciates that major supporters of cultural institutions are routinely recognized with prominent inscriptions on buildings and in other public areas,” the ruling continued. “But Congress had other ideas for the Kennedy Center. It limited such memorials and donor recognitions to discrete (and discreet) areas, so as not to detract from the Center’s function as an ongoing memorial to President Kennedy.”

The fight over the center’s future escalated after a video of parts of the ceiling coming apart went viral earlier this month.

“The entire building is in this kind of shape. People cannot be allowed to go into this building any longer. It must be closed and reconstructed, and a major fundraising effort must take place to cover the Kennedy Center’s operating expenses,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick posted. “Like many other Centers, it operates at a huge loss. For the Kennedy Center, that has historically been $80-$100 million a year. Only President Trump can deliver the renovation on time and on budget, and only President Trump can raise the money to keep the Center out of bankruptcy.”

Here is the video of the ceiling of the Kennedy Center crashing violently onto the main Lobby floor. Failing roofing, collapsing concrete supports, and steel that is rotting have created completely unsafe conditions.

It was caught on security video, missing one of the Center’s… pic.twitter.com/g8PI4wsPzg

— Howard Lutnick (@howardlutnick) September 14, 2026

Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy Townhall’s conservative reporting exposing the radical left and woke media? Support our work so we can keep bringing you the truth.

Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.