An image of President Donald Trump went viral on Wednesday night for apparently looking at a poster indicating that the Kennedy Center might be demolished.
But on Thursday, a federal judge said that there needs to be a 30-day warning prior to a tear-down, Reuters reported.
AFP/Getty Images: President Trump reviews what looks like a potential plan to demolish the Kennedy Center on Air Force One. pic.twitter.com/8p5v9nnIhI
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) September 17, 2026
The Washington-based performing arts venue has been in the spotlight for days, as the board opted to temporarily shut it down while the building continues to face structural concerns, including a partial ceiling collapse earlier this month.
“For years, Democrats let the Kennedy Center rot, allowing water damage and crumbling infrastructure to turn a national treasure into a building in decay. As President Trump said last night, without his intervention, The Kennedy Center will inevitably continue to decline,” White House spokeswoman Liz Huston said in a statement to Townhall on Thursday.
There have also been legal battles about whether to include Trump’s name on the building, as it was also temporarily renamed the “Trump-Kennedy Center.” A federal judge said this week that Congress needs to sign off on changing the name of the venue, according to NPR.
Here is the video of the ceiling of the Kennedy Center crashing violently onto the main Lobby floor. Failing roofing, collapsing concrete supports, and steel that is rotting have created completely unsafe conditions.
— Howard Lutnick (@howardlutnick) September 14, 2026
It was caught on security video, missing one of the Center’s… pic.twitter.com/g8PI4wsPzg
The president called the venue “a loser financially” on Wednesday, as the Trump administration maintains the stance that having Trump's name on the building would help with fundraising and give proper credit for the work done.
“For me to go and fix it, and have to subsidize it for years to come […] I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition.” In a Truth Social post this week that "the Renovation and Reconstruction, which is a very large and complex job, cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board’s approved name."
"If the ruling is a negative one, which it should not be, and is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place," he wrote.
The Kennedy Center posted to X on Tuesday that the “critical infrastructure throughout the building is failing.”
“A temporary closure will allow us to address these compounding hazards, modernize the Center, and safeguard this national memorial for generations to come,” the center added.
For more than 50 years, the Kennedy Center has stood as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy and America’s home for the performing arts.
— The Kennedy Center (@TKCOfficial) September 15, 2026
Today, critical infrastructure throughout the building is failing. A temporary closure will allow us to address these compounding… pic.twitter.com/ogJjOPZ8lH
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