Protesters formed a human chain on Friday (September 18, 2026) around the Kennedy Centre, the Washington arts hub that U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to demolish unless his name is restored to it.
Trump’s desired renovations of the ageing facility. Mr. President John F. Kennedy — and has pushed for a major renovation, claiming the building had been left in a state of disrepair by previous leaders. Like other projects around the U.S. capital, the President has shown an unprecedented keenness to put his personal touch on plans, while testing the legal bounds of executive authority.
The complex’s main building has been shuttered since Wednesday (September 16, 2206) — temporarily, according to its leadership — while a judge is also reviewing plans for a long-term closure to accommodate Mr. Trump took control last year of the Kennedy Centre — inaugurated in 1971 following the assassination of U.S.
The move — later reversed by a judge — led to a major decline in ticket sales, artist boycotts and an exodus of donors, according to The Washington Post . “It makes me sick to my stomach,” said Neal Racioppo, a Washington resident who runs marketing and communications for a theatre. “It has been an important home for the arts for this city and this country and the world,” Mr. Racioppo said. “What President Trump is doing is despicable.”
