President Trump on Sunday announced that the Kennedy Center will be closed for a two-year restoration beginning in July.
“The Trump Kennedy Center will close on July 4th, 2026, in honor of the 250th Anniversary of our Country, whereupon we will simultaneously begin Construction of the new and spectacular Entertainment Complex,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. “Financing is completed, and fully in place!”
The president said that, as opposed to partial closures for constructions at the center that would have to work in and around the performances, a one-time, two-year closure of the facility would be the “fastest way to bring The Trump Kennedy Center to the highest level of Success, Beauty, and Grandeur.”
The Hill has reached out to the Kennedy Center and the White House for comment.
Trump replaced many board members in February 2025 with allies, who then elected him chair. In December, the board voted to rename the center “The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” The president also hosted the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony in December.
