President Donald Trump announced late Sunday that he intends to shutter the “tired, broken, and dilapidated” Trump-Kennedy Center for two years of “Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding.”
Trump made the announcement in a lengthy Truth Social post.
“I have determined that the fastest way to bring The Trump Kennedy Center to the highest level of Success, Beauty, and Grandeur, is to cease Entertainment Operations for an approximately two year period of time, with a scheduled Grand Reopening that will rival and surpass anything that has taken place with respect to such a Facility before,” he wrote.
“Therefore, The Trump Kennedy Center will close on July 4th, 2026, in honor of the 250th Anniversary of our Country, whereupon we will simultaneously begin Construction of the new and spectacular Entertainment Complex,” he added.
Trump will make the Kennedy Center Great Again! pic.twitter.com/YoQWGXNArM
— 🇺🇸 Ryan 🇺🇸 (@Ryan_In_Mi) February 2, 2026
The announcement triggered immediate backlash from the far-left Kennedy family, not including Trump administration Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also known as RFK Jr.
Joe Kennedy III, the son of former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II and grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, took to the social media platform X to call the decision a “trespass on the People’s will.”
“President John F. Kennedy believed that one day this country would live up to its promise of justice and equal rights for all,” he wrote. “For those beliefs and for his sacrifice, Congress voted to make The Kennedy Center a living memorial to him, as a place built by the people for the people to celebrate what connects us.
“While this trespass on the People’s will is painful, President Kennedy would remind us that it is not buildings that define the greatness of a nation. It is the actions of its people and its leaders. So, do not be distracted from what this Administration is actually trying to erase: our connection, our community, and our commitment to the rights of all,” he added.
Notice how he purposefully referred to the recently renamed Trump-Kennedy Center as simply the Kennedy Center.
President John F. Kennedy believed that one day this country would live up to its promise of justice and equal rights for all. For those beliefs and for his sacrifice, Congress voted to make The Kennedy Center a living memorial to him, as a place built by the people for the…
— Joe Kennedy III (@joekennedy) February 2, 2026
Maria Shriver, the niece of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, also lashed out at Trump via social media.
“Translation: It has been brought to my attention that due to the name change (but nobody’s telling me it’s due to the name change), but it’s been brought to my attention that entertainers are canceling left and right, and I have determined that since the name change no one wants to perform there any longer,” she wrote on X.
“I’ve determined that due to this change in schedule, it’s best for me to close this center down and rebuild a new center that will bear my name, which will surely get everybody to stop talking about the fact that everybody’s canceling… right?” she added.
Translation: It has been brought to my attention that due to the name change (but nobody’s telling me it’s due to the name change), but it’s been brought to my attention that entertainers are canceling left and right, and I have determined that since the name change no one wants… https://t.co/BDsjQeOAC9
— Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) February 2, 2026
Her criticism made reference to reports from the biased mainstream press that the center has faced artist cancellations and a drop in ticket sales ever since it was renamed.
And finally, John F. Kennedy’s only grandson, New York congressional contender Jack Schlossberg, wrote on X that his deceased grandfather “is kept alive” through what is effectively Trump Derangement Syndrome:
Trump can take the Kennedy Center for himself.
He can change the name, shut the doors, and demolish the building.
He can try to kill JFK.
But JFK is kept alive by us now rising up to remove Donald Trump, bring him to justice, and restore the freedoms generations fought for.
— Jack Schlossberg (@JBKSchlossberg) February 2, 2026
“Trump can take the Kennedy Center for himself,” he wrote.
“He can change the name, shut the doors, and demolish the building. He can try to kill JFK,” Schlossberg wrote on his X account. “But JFK is kept alive by us now rising up to remove Donald Trump, bring him to justice, and restore the freedoms generations fought for.”
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