In brief
The Kennedy Center is set to close for two years starting July 4, as announced by President Trump, who stated the closure is in honor of the nation's 250th anniversary. This decision follows backlash over the center’s name change to include Trump's name, leading several artists to cancel performances. Renovations will be financed, aiming to transform the center into a world-class performing arts venue.
The Kennedy Center in Washington DC will be closed for a two-year renovation beginning in July, US President Donald Trump has announced.
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday that the centre would close on 4 July this year 'in honour of the 250th Anniversary of our Country'.
The move follows several artists cancelling performances at the storied institution after it was recently renamed as the Trump Kennedy Center.
Shortly after taking office, the president fired several board members and replaced them with allies, leading to Trump's election as chairman of the board.
The new board renamed the institution the Donald J Trump and the John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in December, and new signage appeared shortly after.
Following the name change, musical acts, including Wicked composer Steven Schwartz, cancelled performances at the center.
On Thursday, the venue hosted a premiere screening of a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump.
The US president said there would be a 'scheduled grand reopening' and that renovations have already been financed.
'I have determined that The Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for construction, revitalisation, and complete rebuilding, can be, without question, the finest performing arts facility of its kind, anywhere in the world,' he wrote.
Trump had also criticized the center's physical state and worked with Congress to allocate more than $250 million for its revival, part of a series of renovation projects in his second term.
Legal experts argue that Congress must approve any name change since the center was established by law in 1964. Democratic US Representative Joyce Beatty has taken legal action to restore the original name.
Members of President John F. Kennedy's family, including Joe Kennedy III, have expressed opposition to the name change, emphasizing the center's significance as a memorial to the late president.
