Close the Kennedy Center? It Might Be the Best Option

In February 2025, Donald Trump initiated an unprecedented takeover of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a traditionally nonpartisan institution and living memorial to the 35th president. With legal authority to appoint and dismiss board members, Trump sought to co-opt the center, expecting that its ecosystem of artists, audiences, patrons, and big donors would fall in line. The article, published in The Washington Post on August 14, 2026, argues that closing the Kennedy Center might be the best option among bad alternatives. It suggests that Trump's actions could be seen as an attempt to gain social legitimacy denied to him by New York's cultural institutions. The piece reflects on the implications of political interference in cultural institutions and the potential consequences for the arts community.