President Trump announced the Kennedy Center will close after July 4 for about two years for renovations, calling the performing-arts center “in very bad shape,” “rundown” and “sort of dangerous,” and saying “things fall out.” He said the center will be “brand new and really beautiful” and estimated the work would cost about $200 million.
On Truth Social and during exchanges with reporters, Trump suggested an aggressive overhaul — at times describing work that sounded like tearing the building down to its steel beams — but White House and Kennedy Center sources later clarified the plan is not an outright demolition. CBS News’ Aaron Navarro reported that Trump told Weijia Jiang he was “not ripping it down. I’ll be using the steel. We’re using some of the marble, and some of the marble comes down.” Navarro said sources told CBS News the president’s initial description was more aggressive than current plans, and no request or estimate to demolish the center to its beams had been made.
Sources and Kennedy Center officials say planned work includes a new roof and replacement of marble and grout, while preserving the basic layout of the hall and three theaters. The Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations told CBS News the center had about $250 million in deferred maintenance needs. The center’s budget proposal to Congress filed last year listed ongoing projects such as roof repair and concert-hall seating replacement, indicating renovation needs had been identified prior to the president’s announcement.
The announcement comes after several high-profile artists and organizations publicly canceled shows in protest of the Trump administration, including the Washington National Opera and composer Philip Glass. Those cancellations preceded the White House statement and the president’s renovation remarks.
Trump also signaled a broader, more symbolic vision for the site, saying he wanted to make a significant “mark” on the city — including plans for a very large arch. Navarro reported that Trump proposed an arch about 250 feet tall, which could interfere with flight paths into Reagan National Airport (DCA). The White House described the president’s vision as “bold” and aimed to be “imprinted upon the fabric of America,” but full blueprints or formal proposals for an arch had not been released.
CBS News noted that while the president’s language suggested a far-reaching transformation, the Kennedy Center’s own planning and budget documents show a mix of deferred maintenance projects already identified. Navarro said more details about the scope of any changes and the process for approving monuments and major alterations in Washington will follow in CBS News coverage.