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.

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’s desired renovations of the ageing facility.

Crowds waved placards reading “hands off Kennedy Centre” and broke out into song beneath the scaffolding and tarps that have remained in place since workers removed Mr. Trump’s name from the building in June following a court order.

Mr. Trump took control last year of the Kennedy Centre — inaugurated in 1971 following the assassination of U.S. 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.

Mr. Trump’s handpicked Kennedy Centre board voted last year to officially rename the institution as the Trump-Kennedy Centre, with corresponding updates to building signage and online logos.

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.

‘Not a political place’

“It makes me sick to my stomach,” said Neal Racioppo, a Washington resident who runs marketing and communications for a theatre.

Mr. Trump “can’t get his name on this cherished building, so he is depriving the world of what it could be”.

Mr. Racioppo, 57, joined a human chain that formed as night fell on the imposing, white, marble building, with crowds sprawling out onto the esplanade overlooking the Potomac River.

Demonstrators were zigzagged around the barriers installed after the centre closed this week, with some waving placards reading “hands off Kennedy Centre” and “Donny, you are no JFK”.

“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.”

Lizzy Andrew, who has performed several times at the Kennedy Centre, including singing with the National Symphony Orchestra, said she was angered at Mr. Trump’s threat to tear down the venue.

“He does not have a right to decide that an institution, a living memorial to a past president, can be demolished,” the 30-year-old told AFP.

“I think you can see tonight that the people of D.C. and the people of America do not agree with that decision.”

Lela Agnew, who regularly brings her children to visit the centre, said she came to defend an institution that “belongs to the people”.

“I’ve been coming here for about 50 years,” she said. “It’s not a place that needs to be demolished.”

“It’s just not a political place.”

President Donald Trump said Sunday he will move to close Washington’s Kennedy Center performing arts centre for two years starting in July for construction, his latest move to upturn the storied venue since returning to the White House.

Mr. Trump’s announcement on social media follows a wave of cancellations by leading performers and groups since the President ousted the previous leadership and added his name to the building. Mr. Trump made no mention in his post of the recent cancellations.

His proposal, announced days after the premiere of “Melania”, a documentary of the first lady, was shown at the centre, he said, was subject to approval by the board of the Kennedy Center, which has been stocked with his hand-picked allies. Mr. Trump himself chairs the centre’s board of trustees.

“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,” Mr. Trump wrote in his post.

Neither Mr. Trump nor Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell, a Mr. Trump ally, has provided evidence to back up their claims about the building being in disrepair.

The sudden decision is certain to spark blowback as Mr. Trump upturns the popular venue, which began as a national cultural centre, but Congress renamed as a “living memorial” to President John F. Kennedy in 1964, in the aftermath of the slain President’s death. Opened in 1971, it is open year-round as a public showcase for the arts, including the National Symphony Orchestra.

Since Mr. Trump returned to the White House, the Kennedy Center is one of many Washington landmarks that he has sought to put his stamp on in his second term. He demolished the East Wing of the White House and launched a massive $400 million ballroom project, is actively pursuing building a triumphal arch on the other side of the Arlington Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial and has plans for Washington Dulles International Airport.

Leading performing arts groups have pulled out of appearances, most recently, composer Philip Glass, who announced his decision to withdraw his Symphony No. 15 “Lincoln” because he said the values of the centre today are in “direct conflict” with the message of the piece.

Last month, the Washington National Opera announced that it will move performances away from the Kennedy Center in another high-profile departure following Mr. Trump’s takeover of the U.S. capital’s leading performing arts venue.

The head of artistic programming for the centre abruptly left his post last week, less than two weeks after being named to the job.

A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

As Mr. Trump announced his plan to rename the building — erecting his name on the building’s main front — he drew sharp opposition from members of Congress, and some Kennedy family members.

Kerry Kennedy, a niece of John F. Kennedy, said in a social post on X at the time that she would remove Mr. Trump’s name herself with a pickaxe when his term ends.