Who gets to decide the future of the living memorial to former President John F. Kennedy, and who holds those decision-makers to account?

This debate is becoming ever more fraught. A photo taken on Sept. 16, 2026, showed President Donald J. Trump in Air Force One reviewing a poster with the words “Kennedy Center DEMOLISH …” that many interpreted to mean “demolished.”

The image spread quickly. Like the protests that brought throngs of arts lovers to the center a few days later, it amplified the drama around the fate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. For more than a half-century, the multivenue complex has featured world-class symphonies, operas, dance and theater performances, along with education programs.

Whether it would be open or closed to the public, active or dormant, repaired or dismantled, solvent or bankrupt and if it can include Trump’s name in its branding have been the subjects of widespread dispute and speculation since Trump returned to office.

As a professor and scholar of arts management, I can explain why the official answers to who gets to decide and who is supposed to hold those deciders accountable are reasonably clear.

Oversight hierarchy collapsed

Congress created the Kennedy Center and determines its governance. It’s up to lawmakers, through their power of the purse, to decide on funding for construction, repairs and a portion of its operational budget.

The oversight of facilities and programs falls to a board of trustees that’s authorized by Congress to advance the mission and secure the majority of the center’s earned and contributed revenue. And those........

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