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Trump plans to shut Kennedy Center for 2 years for renovations

05:14

Here & Now Newsroom

February 02, 2026

New signage, The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, is unveiled on the Kennedy Center, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

President Trump says that he’ll shut down the Kennedy Center for two years starting in July, to transform it into “the finest performing arts facility of its kind.”

Here & Now's Indira Lakshmanan speaks with Janay Kingsberry, arts reporter for the Washington Post.

This segment aired on February 2, 2026.

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