Thousands Surround Kennedy Center After Trump Threatens Demolition, Judge Blocks Name Return
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · Sep 20
Thousands Surround Kennedy Center After Trump Threatens Demolition, Judge Blocks Name Return
3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Sep 20
Summary
Thousands of protesters encircled the Kennedy Center over the weekend, linking hands around the shuttered building to oppose Donald Trump’s threat to tear it down.
The backlash intensified days after a federal judge blocked a bid to restore Trump’s name to the facade and ordered 30 days’ notice before any major physical changes, including demolition.
Trump has made the center a personal project since taking control after his second inauguration, installing a new board, reshaping programming and arguing the deteriorating venue might need to be “ripped down.”
Financial claims also fueled the dispute: Trump said the center was losing “hundreds of millions,” but tax records showed 2024 revenue rose by millions, even as artists and private donors pulled back after his takeover.
The protest capped days of escalating demonstrations over the center’s closure, turning a naming fight into a broader clash over political control of a major U.S. arts institution.