Trump floats nuclear option in Kennedy Center fight

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The Hill's Headlines (PM) - September 17, 2026

The Hill's Headlines (PM) - September 17, 2026

▪ Trump hints at demolishing Kennedy Center

▪ Florida GOP congresswoman breaks with Trump

▪ ICE director nomination pulled

▪ Carney open to Canada joining EU

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President Trump is digging in on the battle to put his name on the Kennedy Center, raising the possibility that his administration could have the institution torn down entirely if he doesn’t get his way.

The president was seen on Air Force One on Wednesday night looking at a placard that appears to show the potential demolition of the center. He suggested during a campaign stop in North Carolina that day that his administration could demolish the center if it doesn’t honor Trump in addition to former President John F. Kennedy, and close for renovations of his design.

“So, for the Trump administration, for me, to get involved and to take that on long term and to carry it or to raise money to carry it, I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition because, frankly, if we don’t do that, it’s going to close,” he told reporters. “It’ll end up being ripped down. It’s in very, very bad shape, very dangerous shape.”

The increasingly dire warnings from the president follow the latest vote from the center’s board Tuesday to close the main building for renovations. Officials said the center faces “certain fiscal collapse” within weeks and that only an effort to recognize Trump’s contributions to the center would allow him to raise enough money to save it.

The board’s plan to rename the center has now been blocked twice by a federal judge. It was first barred from adding Trump’s name alongside Kennedy’s and more recently prevented from carrying out its alternative plan to inscribe Trump’s name on the building and rename the campus for him.

The Trump-picked board has maintained that the center is unsafe for public occupancy, pointing to a water leak that caused a section of the grand foyer ceiling to fall to the floor. Trump said the closure would take place “immediately,” but the work couldn’t be done until the appeals court for the D.C. Circuit rules on the center’s name change.

The move spurred Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex officio member of the board, to request an emergency hearing for a federal judge to review the closure vote. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper declined Beatty’s request on Thursday, though he required the federal government to provide at least 30 days’ notice if it intends to demolish the performing arts center.

Cooper previously blocked the board’s earlier attempt to close the center.

The center’s executive director, Matt Floca, said in a court filing Thursday that the main building’s current closure is unrelated to the board’s pursuit of long-term renovations. He said the main building will be closed for at least a week for emergency repairs, noting the water leak and partial ceiling collapse.

Floca said the period could be extended beyond a week if he determines it necessary and the timeline would be evaluated on a weekly basis.

Cooper’s earlier ruling had prohibited the center from being closed for the long term, but he didn’t bar officials from conducting necessary repairs.

“No part of the Court’s preliminary injunction order forbids a temporary closure like this one,” Department of Justice lawyer Brantley Mayers argued.

Meanwhile, the plaintiffs seeking to block the board’s actions are stepping up their response. Eight historical, architectural and preservationist organizations who are plaintiffs against the Kennedy Center on Thursday called for its leaders to either resign or appoint a receiver to oversee the institution.

“The irrevocable loss of this iconic building — whether by intent, neglect or mismanagement — appears increasingly possible,” they said in a statement.

Attorney Greg Werkheiser, whose law firm is one of three representing the plaintiffs, said they will “likely soon” file for a receivership.

He said the institution filing for bankruptcy isn’t necessary for the court to force a change in management. He noted that Congress has set aside $257 million for repairs to the center and argued that Trump has the “extraordinary responsibility” to use his power to keep the center running, not “extraordinary leverage to demand” that it honor him.

If Trump did go through with knocking down part of the center, it wouldn’t be entirely without precedent in his second term. He had the East Wing of the White House torn down unilaterally last year, beginning what’s been another long-running........

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