Trump says Kennedy Center will close in July for two years for renovations
By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN
(CNN) — The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington will close for roughly two years to allow for extensive renovations, President Donald Trump said Sunday.
Trump, who is also chair of the newly rebranded Trump Kennedy Center, said on social media he determined that the closure, slated for July 4, “will produce a much faster and higher quality result” as he seeks to rebuild the complex.
Trump said the move is pending approval by the center’s board, whose members were picked by the president.
“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, far better than it has ever been before,” he said, adding that financing is “fully in place.”
CNN has reached out to the Kennedy Center and the White House for additional details.
The president’s announcement comes as the nation’s preeminent performing arts center contends with a flood of cancellations that began soon after the board added the president’s name to the complex. Most recently, award-winning composer Philip Glass withdrew the June world premiere of his symphony based on Abraham Lincoln.
Trump has made reshaping the Kennedy Center a priority in his second term. His “One Big, Beautiful Bill” included $257 million for “necessary expenses for capital repair, restoration, maintenance backlog, and security structures.” Trump has touted restoration of the exterior marble, the interior chairs and “fully” renovated stages, which he said last summer will be complete within a year.
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CNN’s Betsy Klein and Kaanita Iyer contributed to this report.
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