Kennedy Centre to close for two years for renovations in July, Trump says

US president Donald Trump has said he will move to close Washington’s Kennedy Centre performing arts venue for construction work for two years, starting in July.

Mr Trump’s announcement on social media follows a wave of cancellations by leading performers, musicians and groups since the president added his name to the building.

The US president made no mention in his post of the recent cancellations.

His proposal was announced days after the premiere of Melania, a documentary on the US first lady, was shown at the centre.

Mr Trump said the change was subject to approval by the board of the Kennedy Centre, which has been stocked with his hand-picked allies. Mr Trump himself chairs the board of trustees.

“This important decision, based on input from many Highly Respected Experts, will take a tired, broken, and dilapidated Center, one that has been in bad condition, both financially and structurally for many years, and turn it into a World Class Bastion of Arts, Music, and Entertainment,” Mr Trump wrote in a social media post.

Neither Mr Trump nor Kennedy Centre president Ric Grenell, a Trump ally, have provided evidence to back up their claims about the building being in disrepair. Last October, Mr Trump had pledged the centre would remain open during renovations.

In Sunday’s announcement, Mr Trump said the centre will close on July 4, when he said construction would begin.

“Our goal has always been to not only save and permanently preserve the Center, but to make it the finest Arts Institution in the world,” Mr Grenell said in a post, citing funds US congress approved for repairs.

“This will be a brief closure,” he added.

“It desperately needs this renovation and temporarily closing the Center just makes sense – it will enable us to better invest our resources, think bigger and make the historic renovations more comprehensive. It also means we will be finished faster.”

The sudden decision to close and reconstruct the Kennedy Centre is sparking opposition as Mr Trump disrupts the popular venue, which began as a national cultural centre but congress renamed as a “living memorial” to US president John F Kennedy in 1964, in the aftermath of his assassination the year before.

Opened in 1971, the centre is open year-round as a public showcase for the arts, including the US National Symphony Orchestra.

Since Mr Trump returned to the White House, the Kennedy Centre is one of many Washington landmarks that he has sought to overhaul in his second term.

He demolished the East Wing of the White House and launched a massive 400 million dollar (£292 million) ballroom project, is actively pursuing building a triumphal arch on the other side the Arlington Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial, and also has plans for Washington Dulles International Airport.

Leading performing arts groups have pulled out of appearances at the Kennedy Centre. The most recent of these was composer Philip Glass, who announced his decision to withdraw his Symphony No 15 “Lincoln” because he said the values of the centre today are in “direct conflict” with the message of the piece.

Last month, the Washington National Opera announced that it will move performances away from the Kennedy Centre in another high-profile departure following Mr Trump’s takeover of the US capital’s leading performing arts venue.

The head of artistic programming for the centre abruptly left his post last week, less than two weeks after being named in the job.

Late last year, as Mr Trump announced his plan to rename the building – erecting his name on the building’s main front ahead of that of Mr Kennedy – he drew sharp opposition from members of congress, and some Kennedy family members.

Kerry Kennedy, a niece of John F Kennedy, said in a social post on X at the time that she will remove Mr Trump’s name herself with a pickaxe when his term ends.

Another family member, Maria Shriver, said at the time that it is “beyond comprehension that this sitting president has sought to rename this great memorial dedicated to President Kennedy,” her uncle.

“It is beyond wild that he would think adding his name in front of President Kennedy’s name is acceptable. It is not.”

Late Sunday evening, Ms Shriver posted a new comment mimicking Mr Trump’s own voice and style, and suggesting the closure of the venue was meant to deflect from the cancellations.

She said that “entertainers are cancelling left and right” and the president has determined that “since the name change no-one wants to perform there any longer”.

Mr Trump has decided, she said, it’s best “to close this centre down and rebuild a new centre” that will bear his name. She asked: “Right?”

Representative Joyce Beatty, the Ohio Democrat and ex-officio trustee of the centre’s board, sued in December, arguing that “only congress has the authority to rename the Kennedy Centre”.

On Sunday, Ms Beatty said that once again Mr Trump “has acted with total disregard for congress,” which allocates funds to the centre.

She questioned what comes next for the artists – and the building itself.

Ms Beatty said: “Let’s be clear: remodelling the premises will not restore the Kennedy Centre to what it was. A return to artistic independence will.

“America’s artists are rejecting this attempted takeover, and the administration knows it.”