Kennedy Center Denies Demolition Claims as Trump Suggests Building Could Be ‘Ripped Down’

Conflicting narratives emerged Wednesday regarding the future of the Kennedy Center, as the performing arts institution firmly denied any plans to demolish the landmark while President Trump suggested it could be “ripped down” and was photographed reviewing a document with those words.

Roma Davari, the center’s vice president of public relations, told Real America’s Voice that “nothing is being demolished” and urged the public to disregard media reports to the contrary. She emphasized that no such statement has ever originated from the institution itself.

The denial followed a federal judge’s ruling on Tuesday that prevented Mr. Trump’s name from being added to the building. Shortly after that decision, the Kennedy Center board, which includes numerous allies of the president, voted to close the facility for renovations. However, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who is overseeing the litigation, has not yet determined whether the board’s vote was lawful.

According to court documents filed by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio board member who sued last year to block Mr. Trump’s changes, a witness declared under penalty of perjury that he observed a forklift striking the building’s pillars. The Justice Department subsequently stated in court filings on Thursday that the closure would last one week, unless extended to address safety hazards.

Matt Floca, the center’s executive director, attributed the temporary closure of most public spaces in the main building to “acute risks to public safety resulting from continued structural deterioration.” In an email to staff submitted to the court, Floca clarified that this was a distinct management decision to address imminent life-safety risks, rather than an implementation of the board’s separate vote to close the building for renovation purposes.

On Wednesday night, fencing was erected around the perimeter of the Kennedy Center, which opened in 1971 and serves as the official living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. Congress had appropriated more than $250 million last year for the restoration project.

Speaking aboard Air Force One after returning from a rally in North Carolina, Mr. Trump linked potential federal funding for the restoration to recognition for his administration. He suggested that without such acknowledgment, the center would face closure and potentially be demolished. Photos from the flight showed Mr. Trump looking at a large printout that read “Kennedy Center Demolished,” which was later entered as evidence in the emergency motion.