President Donald Trump is ramping up his warnings about the future of Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center .
Before boarding Air Force One for a campaign rally in North Carolina on Wednesday, September 16, Trump, 80, told reporters on the tarmac in Maryland that the Kennedy Center is “a loser financially,” according to a video posted by C-SPAN on X .
“For me to go and fix it, I’m the one capable of fixing it and then have to subsidize it for years to come, because you will lose with the Kennedy Center,” Trump said in the social media clip, claiming the center lost “hundreds of millions of dollars… before I got involved.”
The president then said his administration should receive credit if it takes on that responsibility.
“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,” he continued in the X video. “Because frankly, if we don’t do that, it’s going to close. It’ll end up being ripped down. It’s in very, very bad shape, very dangerous shape.”
Trump went on to raise concerns about the condition of the building.
“You see steel falling down. You see plaster falling off ceilings,” he said, adding that the Kennedy Center has “been very badly maintained for 25 years.”
After Trump boarded, a photographer captured him examining a poster reading “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED” alongside housing official Bill Pulte , People reported Thursday, September 17. Attorneys for Rep. Joyce Beatty , who is suing the administration over its renaming efforts, quickly filed the images and Trump’s comments as evidence in their federal case, per the report.
As the National Enquirer previously reported , the Kennedy Center’s board voted in December 2025 to rename the venue the Trump-Kennedy Center, prompting several artists to cancel scheduled performances.
The Kennedy Center’s board, which Trump chairs, voted earlier in the week to shutter the venue for up to two years for renovations funded by $257 million previously appropriated by Congress. The vote came after Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that Trump’s name could not be added to the building without congressional approval, CNBC reported.
The board had sought to recognize Trump on the building with language identifying the venue as “renovated and restored by President Donald J. Trump,” but Cooper blocked that proposal. The Apprentice alum later wrote on Truth Social that renovations would not begin until the legal battle over the board’s naming plan is resolved.
Trump’s remarks sparked pushback in the comments section of C-SPAN’s X post, with several users questioning his claims about the Kennedy Center’s finances.
“The center operated 2024 at a profit and had cash on the books. Now ‘dire straits and tearing it down,'” one person wrote , while another asked , “Is a memorial to a former beloved president who was assassinated while serving our country supposed to be a profitable business opportunity?”
Others focused on the former reality star’s push for recognition.
“Trumps name does NOT need to be on that center!!” one commenter wrote .
Another commenter accused the president of having “created a problem where none existed only to claim he can only fix it and be recognized for it or else!”
A different user wrote , “Always looking for a Participation Award 🏆[.]”
He’s made a fortune telling stories about marriage, but Tyler Perry insists he’ll never walk down the aisle himself. The...
President Donald Trump is ramping up his warnings about the future of Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center. Before boarding Air Force...
A woman in Massachusetts was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after her fiancé called 911 to get her help...
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban ‘Speaking Again’ 9 Months After Finalizing Painful Divorce
Wynonna Judd Wants Daughter Grace to ‘Step Up’ for Her Kids, But ‘Not Counting on a Fairy Tale Ending’
J.K. Rowling’s Massive $150M Superyacht Spotted in L.A. With Its Name Covered: ‘Often Attracts Protesters’
John Fetterman Accused of Ditching Paralyzed Veterans, Faces Fierce Backlash After Bombshell Report
Dakota Johnson Never Got Over Chris Martin Despite Role Model Romance: ‘Still Feelings There’
President Trump Claims Two Firefighters ‘Lifted’ Him Up, ‘Starting Running’ With Him After 9/11
Mother Blasts United Healthcare for Denying Son’s Rehabilitation Coverage Following Tragic Accident
Maria Bartiromo Abruptly Exits Fox News After 12 Years With No Reason Given
Former Altar Boy at Prestigious Boarding School Accused of Killing Homeless Man in Back Alley Argument
Republican Nominee for Colorado Governor Once Declared He ‘Met Satan in Person’ and Isn’t ‘Joking’
Virginia Community Rallies After a Man Allegedly Smashed 81 Car Windshields With a Brick
JD Vance Promises to Help Widow of Airman Killed During Iran War After She Was Denied Benefits