Thousands protest Kennedy Center closure vote

Thousands of protesters surrounded the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday evening, forming a human chain and filling streets in Washington’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood after the Trump-backed board voted to close the landmark arts venue indefinitely for repairs.

The “Hands Around the Kennedy Center” rally brought traffic to a standstill outside the building, whose marble facade remained partly covered by scaffolding and tarpaulins. Demonstrators carried signs, chanted “hands off!” and booed when President Donald Trump was mentioned during the program. Some wore costumes, including inflatable animal suits, while Baby Trump balloons floated above the crowd at sunset.

The protest reflected growing alarm among opponents of Trump’s plans for the Kennedy Center, including fears he could act on his threat to demolish the institution. At one point, protesters linked hands around the building, one of the best-known structures on Washington’s Potomac River waterfront.

Chris Raleigh, co-founder of Hands Off the Arts, which organized the gathering, told The Associated Press he hoped the turnout would show that people are prepared to resist Trump’s plans for the building.

Raleigh said he was concerned Trump could move ahead without notifying the court. “Look at the East Wing,” he said. “We got up one morning and there was a giant hole there.”

The Kennedy Center has become a focal point in Trump’s effort to reshape Washington since his return to office last year. Al Jazeera reported that Trump replaced the center’s board with his own appointees and installed himself as chairman. The Guardian reported that Trump began installing favorites on the governing board in 2025.

Late last year, Trump’s name was added to the center. A federal judge later ruled that the board had exceeded its authority by renaming the institution and adding Trump’s name to the facade without congressional approval, and ordered the name removed. Congress had designated the center as a memorial to John F. Kennedy, the 35th U.S. president.

The board tried again in August, seeking wording along the lines of “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.” U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked that effort in September, ruling it violated his earlier injunction.

On Tuesday, the Trump-aligned board voted to close the center indefinitely for repairs, hours after Cooper blocked the latest attempt to restore Trump’s name to the building. Al Jazeera reported that the repairs are expected to last up to two years. On Thursday, Cooper ordered the Kennedy Center to give 30 days’ notice before making any major physical or structural changes, including demolition.

The week’s events followed widespread attention to a photo taken Wednesday by Agence France-Presse photographer Brendan Smialowski. The image showed Trump through the windows of Air Force One holding a placard with visible red text reading: “Kennedy Center DEMOLIS…” The rest of the word was obscured by the plane’s window frame.

Protest signs included “Keep your tiny hands off our Kennedy Center,” “You’re no Jack Kennedy,” “Donny you are no JFK!,” “Our center not DJT’s” and “Hands off the arts.” One demonstrator wore a golden Trump mask with a crown and carried a sign reading: “Restore my name in gold you sycophants.”

Trump has said his administration deserves recognition for saving the Kennedy Center, which he said was losing money. Speaking from the Oval Office, he said: “We have a lot of people working very hard on it to save it. I can save it easily, but why should we be doing that and then raise money for the rest of our lives to keep it afloat? Because that’s what you have to do, if we get no recognition. I think the Trump administration should be recognized as having saved the Kennedy Center.”

He did not address a question about demolishing it, The Guardian reported.