The Life and, for Now, the Death of the Kennedy Center
- Length
- 31 min
- Published
- 25 September 2026
- Language
- English
- Text from
- the audio
- Transcribed
- 27 September 2026
Summary
This episode of The Daily examines how President Trump took over the Kennedy Center in his second term, renamed it after himself, and ultimately closed it after a court ruled the renaming required an act of Congress. Reporter Elizabeth Williamson traces the president's motivations back to his first-term rejection by cultural elites, and describes the venue's decline under his leadership. The episode ends with the center padlocked, 2,500 people out of work, and thousands protesting to mourn what the institution had become.
Key points
- President Trump boycotted the Kennedy Center for his entire first term after honorees like Norman Lear and Lionel Richie declined to attend the Kennedy Center Honors.
- Eighteen days into his second term, Trump purged the board, installed loyalists, and made himself chairman, replacing David Rubenstein, who had personally given $111 million to the center.
- Under director Richard Grinnell, mass firings nicknamed 'Firing Fridays' gutted staff, including cutting the fundraising department, and artists began canceling performances.
- Trump's claim that the center was 'wokey' and elitist was a misconception; most of its programming was popular entertainment like Sesame Street, Garth Brooks, and children's ballet recitals.
- The board voted to add Trump's name above John F. Kennedy's on the building, renaming it The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
- Congresswoman Joyce Beatty sued, arguing only Congress could rename the center, and a court agreed, forcing Trump's name to be removed behind tarps in the middle of the night.
- After losing the naming battle, Trump claimed the building was in dangerous disrepair, citing a five-foot chunk of fallen plaster, and the board voted to close it entirely on September 15th.
- The closure cost 2,500 jobs, ended all performances and tours, and drew thousands of mourners and protesters, some forming a human chain around the building.
Questions it answers
00:00A tour of wreckage
What did the Kennedy Center feel like after Trump took over?
Reporter Michael Barbaro took a tour with 87-year-old volunteer guide Sandy Weiswasser, who had given tours every Monday for 20 years. He was the only person on the tour, the center was empty, and her memories sounded like a eulogy.
- Sandy Weiswasser had given Monday tours for 20 years.
- Attendance collapsed after Trump's changes.
- The guide struggled with whether to speak in past or present tense.
02:28First-term rejection
Why did Trump turn against the Kennedy Center?
After being rejected by New York cultural elites, Trump expected the presidency to bring cultural acceptance, but honorees like Norman Lear and Lionel Richie declined to attend the Kennedy Center Honors. He responded by boycotting the center for his entire first term.
- Norman Lear said "it oughtn't to be his" White House.
- Trump was a no-show for all four years.
- He came into his second term vowing retribution and anti-woke remaking of cultural life.
06:17Taking over the board
How did Trump seize control of the Kennedy Center?
Eighteen days into his second term, Trump fired board members and replaced them with loyalists including Susie Wiles and Usha Vance. The new board made him chairman, replacing David Rubenstein, who had personally given $111 million to the center.
- Board members normally serve six-year overlapping terms.
- Trump installed loyalists including his chief of staff and the vice president's wife.
- He immediately bashed the center as "very wokey."
09:13Grinnell's purge
What changes did Richard Grinnell make as director?
Grinnell conducted mass firings nicknamed "Firing Fridays," cut the fundraising department from 93 to 17 people, and fought with artists who canceled performances. Ticket sales plunged while the center hosted CPAC and FIFA events.
- Fired staff got 20 minutes to leave the building with security.
- Artists canceled and Grinnell blamed their wokeness.
- CPAC got a deeply discounted rate; FIFA used the venue for free.
15:02Renaming and the lawsuit
How did the center get renamed and then un-renamed?
After Trump emceed the Honors and hinted his name should be outside, the board voted to name it "The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts." Congresswoman Joyce Beatty sued, a court ruled only Congress could rename it, and Trump's name was removed behind tarps at 2:30–3:00 AM while a crowd waited.
- Trump got top billing over John F. Kennedy in the same font size.
- Beatty argued Congress made it a memorial, so only Congress can rename it.
- Tarps left up hid that the name had been removed.
22:50Closure
Why did the Kennedy Center close?
After losing the naming fight, Trump claimed the building was in dangerous disrepair despite $527 million in renovation funding from the big, beautiful bill. A five-foot chunk of plaster fell in the foyer, was left uncleaned for two weeks, and was used to justify the board voting to close the building entirely on September 15th.
- Reporter Elizabeth Williamson made 25 trips and saw no serious safety danger.
- The plaster debris field was measured like a plane crash.
- The board closed the center on September 15th.
25:02Mourning the center
What has the closure meant for Washington?
2,500 people lost their jobs, all performances and tours stopped, and the opera and symphony moved elsewhere. Thousands protested, sharing memories of first dates and family traditions, and formed a human chain around the padlocked, fenced-off building.
- Performances took years to book and cannot be restarted quickly.
- Protesters lay down to form a human chain around the building.
- There is no guarantee the center could ever return to what it was.
Notes
The Takeover
- Trump's first term was marked by rejection from cultural elites; honorees like Norman Lear, Lionel Richie, and photographer (who said "out now") declined to attend the Kennedy Center Honors.
- Eighteen days into his second term, Trump fired board members and stacked the board with loyalists including Susie Wiles, Usha Vance, and Howard Lutnick's wife.
- He replaced chairman David Rubenstein—who had personally given $111 million to the center—with himself.
The Misconception
- Trump called the center "very wokey" and said it would be made "hot" again.
- Reporter Elizabeth Williamson says this reflected a radical misconception: the majority of programming was popular entertainment, including Sesame Street characters, Aretha Franklin, Garth Brooks, church chorale groups, and children's ballet recitals.
Grinnell's Purge
- Richard Grinnell directed day-to-day operations, conducting mass firings nicknamed "Firing Fridays" where staff got 20 minutes to leave with security.
- The fundraising department was cut, with Grinnell boasting of reducing staff from 93 fundraisers to 17.
- Performers canceled, ticket sales plunged, and CPAC staged a conference there at a deeply discounted rate; FIFA held its World Cup draw there for free.
The Renaming
- Trump emceed the Kennedy Center Honors and hinted his name should be on the outside.
- The board voted to rename it "The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts," with Trump's name in the same font size on the first line.
- Congresswoman Joyce Beatty sued, arguing only Congress could rename the memorial, and a court agreed.
- Trump's name was removed behind tarps at 2:30–3:00 AM while a festival-like crowd waited outside.
The Closure
- After the renaming loss, Trump claimed the building was in dangerous disrepair, despite having received $527 million from the big, beautiful bill for renovations.
- A five-foot chunk of plaster fell in the main foyer during heavy storms; nobody cleaned it up for two weeks.
- On September 15th, the board voted to close the building entirely; 2,500 people lost their jobs.
- Thousands protested, forming a human chain around the building, mourning a place that held first dates, Mother's Day traditions, and school trips.
Transcribed automatically from the audio. Summary and notes written by AI from the transcript, so check anything important against the recording.
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