Trump: Trump Kennedy Center to Close July 4 for 2 Years

President Donald Trump announced plans to temporarily close the Trump Kennedy Center for two years for an extensive revitalization and rebuilding project, saying a full shutdown is necessary to achieve higher construction quality and faster completion.

"After a one year review of The Trump Kennedy Center, that has taken place with Contractors, Musical Experts, Art Institutions, and other Advisors and Consultants, deciding between either Construction with Closure and Re-Opening or, Partial Construction while continuing Entertainment Operations through a much longer period of time, working in and around the Performances, I have determined that The Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding, can be, without question, the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World," Trump wrote Sunday on Truth Social, while he was attending Dan Scavino and Erin Elmore's wedding at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

"In other words, if we don't close, the quality of Construction will not be nearly as good, and the time to completion, because of interruptions with Audiences from the many Events using the Facility, will be much longer.

"The temporary closure will produce a much faster and higher quality result!"

The closure will be for two years and reopen in the summer of 2028, Trump's last months in office.

"Based on these findings, and totally subject to Board approval, 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," Trump's statement continued.

"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."

Trump added, "Financing is completed, and fully in place!"

"This important decision, based on input from many Highly Respected Experts, will take a tired, broken, and dilapidated Center, one that has been in bad condition, both financially and structurally for many years, and turn it into a World Class Bastion of Arts, Music, and Entertainment, far better than it has ever been before," his statement concluded. "America will be very proud of its new and beautiful Landmark for many generations to come. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP."

Richard Grenell has served as president of the center, and left-wing protesters have demonstrated there over the board's decision to add Trump's name to the center.

"I am grateful for President Trump's visionary leadership," Grenell wrote Sunday night on X.

"I am also grateful to Congress for appropriating an historic $257M to finally address decades of deferred maintenance and repairs at the Trump Kennedy Center."

Both Trump and Grenell said the name addition was in recognition of Trump's "saving" the neglected performance center.

"Our goal has always been to not only save and permanently preserve the Center, but to make it the finest Arts Institution in the world," Grenell continued.

"It desperately needs this renovation and temporarily closing the Center just makes sense – it will enable us to better invest our resources, think bigger and make the historic renovations more comprehensive. It also means we will be finished faster."

Trump recently hosted the premiere of "Melania," the documentary of his first lady, which has reportedly raised an estimated $8 million on its opening weekend, the richest documentary debut in a decade.

"President Trump has a reputation for delivering large construction projects on time, under budget and beautifully finished," Grenell concluded in his X post.

"This will be a brief closure in retrospect – and I am confident this sets the stage for a stronger, revitalized National Cultural and Entertainment Complex."