One of President John F. Kennedy’s nieces on Tuesday weighed in on President Donald Trump’s battle to rebrand the cultural institution named in honor of her uncle, accusing him of “hostage-taking” the Kennedy Center.
Page D3From§Eachthe early bird edition — 16 September 2026
HOSTAGE TAKING
Trump-picked board votes to close Kennedy Center, fences it off, faces hearing demand on own vote.
“They vote to shut the doors themselves, fence off the entrance themselves, then a sitting congresswoman has to beg a judge for a hearing on a decision the board already made without her. That's not a safety closure, that's a stall on a nameplate fight — the ceiling collapse hurt zero visitors, but the fence went up faster than any repair crew showed. Watch how fast "closed for renovations" turns into whichever name ends up back on the building when the doors reopen.”
“Look, a board has a basic obligation to close a facility with structural concerns, that's just liability management, nothing to do with the name — the Commerce Secretary showing up outside the courthouse that same week is, uh, a completely unrelated scheduling coincidence. And the fence, the fence is standard construction protocol, every renovation gets a perimeter — did I just call a fenced-off national cultural institution "standard"? That's not really where I meant to land.”
The receipts
Fencing surrounds the front entrance of the Kennedy Center on Wednesday, a day after President Trump’s hand-picked board voted to close the facility for renovations amid ongoing fights over adding his name to the facility. The fencing blocked off the main entrance to the performing arts center, based on a photo taken by an Associated...
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) on Wednesday requested an emergency hearing with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts board before a federal judge to discuss the legality of the center’s immediate closure after a vote the day before.
· Beatty on Trump admin threats to demolish Kennedy Center: 'Who’s going to stop them?' from the morgue, 29 Aug 2026
· Lutnick stumps for Trump’s Kennedy Center rebrand outside key court hearing from the morgue, 27 Aug 2026
· Kennedy Center removing landmark sculpture from grounds from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Kennedy Center closes after ceiling piece falls: 'President Trump has been right' from the morgue, 5 Sep 2026
· Kennedy Center board will hold off on adding Trump’s name to the facility until October from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026
· DOJ in court to defend Kennedy Center Board's new push to add Trump's name to building from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026
· Lutnick floats new way to add Trump's name to Kennedy Center from the morgue, 27 Aug 2026
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