New Delhi: On Friday evening, hundreds of Americans linked arms around Washington’s John F. Kennedy Centre, a day after President Donald Trump said the arts complex could be torn down if he didn’t get the recognition he wanted. The protest was attended by thousands of artists and workers.
“I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition. Because frankly, if we don’t do that, it’s going to close. It’ll end up being ripped down,” Trump told reporters in North Carolina on Wednesday.
He was referring to his demand that his name be added to the venue, established by Congress and opened in 1971 as a memorial to former president John F Kennedy. The protest was the latest development in a growing fight over the future of the Kennedy Centre, with opponents accusing Trump and his appointees of trying to take control of the centre.
The wider dispute came into focus in a photograph now filed in federal court.
Pictures taken through the windows of Air Force One show Trump looking at a large placard with bold red words that appear to read “Kennedy Centre DEMOLISHED” over what seems to be an image of a demolition.
‘Safety reasons’
Trump’s push to put his name on the Kennedy Centre dates back to late 2025, when his allies on the venue’s board first suggested adding a tribute to the president in recognition of his role in planned renovations.
In May 2026, US District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that Trump’s name had been unlawfully added to the building and ordered its removal within two weeks. He said the rebranding violated federal law and the Kennedy Centre’s status as a congressional memorial to the former president.
The board, now dominated by Trump appointees, resisted. In July, a panel of DC Circuit judges rejected Trump and his allies’ request to pause the order. Then, on 15 September, hours after Judge Cooper again blocked efforts to restore Trump’s name to the facade, the board voted to close the Kennedy Centre indefinitely, citing “safety reasons” and “structural deterioration”.
“Former US Representative Joseph Kennedy III on Thursday accused President Trump of appropriating the legacy of his late great uncle after the board voted to shut the facility,” the Boston Globe reported, reflecting the anger within the Kennedy family.
Within days, Trump went further, calling the Kennedy Centre a “mess” without his intervention. He claimed it had lost “10s of millions of dollars, even hundreds of millions of dollars,” and compared it with New York’s Carnegie Hall.
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Protest in the streets, support on social media
Faced with the possibility of sudden demolition, protesters went to the courts and the streets. On 17 September, Judge Cooper ordered the Kennedy Centre to give at least 30 days’ notice before making any major physical changes to the complex.
Organised by the Hands Off the Arts coalition, the rally brought together artists, workers, families, and politicians who marched from Foggy Bottom to the Kennedy Centre, blocking traffic and linking arms around the complex.
The Associated Press reported that Bud Wilkinson, a local member of the arts community, set up a chalkboard with Trump’s name written hundreds of times. But Wilkinson said the protest was about more than putting Trump’s name on the Kennedy Centre.
“It’s about censoring the performances and the programming,” he told the AP. “That’s why I want to replace all of this with love. That’s why there’s a heart.”
The debate has also spilled over onto social media, where reactions to Trump’s role at the Kennedy Centre have been sharply divided.
Some posts attacked the Kennedy family and the centre itself, with one user writing: “Kennedy was a typical rich liberal degenerate, like his whole family.”
Others defended Trump’s involvement, arguing that he had stepped in to address the centre’s problems. “Nothing was done until Donald Trump stepped in,” one post said, adding that Trump had arranged private donations to help pay for renovations.
Some users, however, opposed demolishing the building while also supporting Trump’s efforts to renovate it.
“I’m sorry, I love the Kennedy Centre. I’ve been dozens and dozens of times. The symphony, the opera, the ballet, musicals, events, you name it. I don’t agree with demolishing it, though I did back the Trump/Grenell efforts to restore it,” one user wrote. The post added a picture of a drag queen before concluding: “However, if this is the kind of ‘art’ they’re trying to save, toss me the keys to the first bulldozer.”
Another user questioned putting Trump’s name on the building as part of the renovation effort.
“Donald Trump thinks his name should be on the Kennedy Centre. Now he says it’s because he’s going to do the renovations. Is he implying every time it gets renovated, the current president’s name must be added?” the post said. “That building could end up looking like a race car driver’s suit.”
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)