Trump announced the temporary closure of the Kennedy Center for reconstruction

On February 1, US President Donald Trump announced that the Kennedy Center would be temporarily closed for construction and reconstruction work.

"After a year-long analysis of the state of the Kennedy Center, <...> a decision has been made to close and reopen the building," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He clarified that the decision was made based on the conclusions of contractors, music experts, art institutes and other consultants, as well as with the consent of the board of directors. According to the president, the continuation of the center's work during the reconstruction would lead to a decrease in the quality of construction and a significant increase in work time.

Trump announced that entertainment activities at the Kennedy Center will be discontinued for about two years. It is planned that the facility will close on July 4, 2026, the day of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States, after which the simultaneous construction of a new entertainment complex will begin. The grand opening, he said, should "surpass anything that has ever happened to such facilities."

The head of the White House stressed that the financing of the project is fully secured. He noted that the reconstruction would make it possible to transform the center, which, according to his assessment, had been in a difficult financial and technical condition for many years, into a world-class facility in the field of art, music and entertainment.

According to Trump, the renovated Kennedy Center should become a new national landmark that future generations of Americans can be proud of.

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On January 13, The Guardian reported that US congressional senators had introduced a bill "To stop renaming buildings for the sake of vanity and selfishness" (SERVE Act). The law will prohibit current presidents from naming buildings and federal facilities in their honor. The SERVE Act prohibits the naming or renaming of any federal building or other facility in honor of the current president, as well as the use of federal funds for these purposes. In addition, the lawmakers proposed to promptly apply the law to the Trump-Kennedy Center and the Trump Institute for Peace.

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