Thousands gathered outside Washington, D.C.’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday night, protesting President Donald Trump’s plans for the landmark venue amid reports that he has considered demolishing the complex.
Those in attendance added their voices to a widening coalition of arts advocates, organizations and residents alarmed by the possibility that Trump could follow through on the threat.
Protesters poured out of the nearest Metro station and into the streets of Foggy Bottom, slowing traffic as they marched with signs for an event dubbed “Hands Around the Kennedy Center.”
At one stage of the demonstration, participants linked hands to create a human chain around the performing arts institution.
Chris Raleigh, a co-founder of Hands Off the Arts, the group behind the rally, said he hoped the turnout would make clear that the public is prepared to push back against Trump’s vision for the building.
Set along the Potomac River waterfront, the Kennedy Center is among Washington’s most recognizable cultural landmarks. It has been central to Trump’s broader reshaping of the capital since 2025, when he began appointing allies to its governing board.
Trump’s name was added to the center late last year, but a judge later found that the move was unlawful and directed that it be removed.
On Tuesday, the Kennedy Center board, whose members are aligned with the president, voted to shut the venue indefinitely for repairs. The decision came hours after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked efforts to restore Trump’s name to the building.
Demonstrators display a banner while rallying against the closure of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on Friday.
Mary Dominiak, center, stands during the national anthem as she and fellow protesters rally against the Kennedy Center’s closure.
Drag Queen Tara Hoot hold up her signs as she rally against the closing of the Kennedy Center
On Thursday, the judge ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days’ notice before making any major physical changes to the building, including demolishing it.
Raleigh said he, like others, is concerned that Trump could take the step without notifying the court.
‘Look at the East Wing,’ he said. ‘We got up one morning and there was a giant hole there.’
Raleigh said the Kennedy Center is more in the public eye than the East Wing was.
He added he doesn’t believe the president fully understands why people are so upset ‘but that’s our job right? This may be the line that no one expected but this is where the line is going to be.’
Protesters talked about the importance of the center as the pinnacle of the nation’s performing arts world.
Bud Wilkinson, a local member of the arts community, set up a chalkboard with Trump’s name written on it hundreds of times.
Protesters flocked to him to erase the names and replace them with hearts.
Demonstrators held hands to form a human chain during a rally outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
People rally against the closing of the Kennedy Center
Thousands of protesters descended on Washington on Friday amid fears the Kennedy Center could ultimately be demolished
Maria Powers rallies against the closing of the Kennedy Center
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Demonstrators gathered to form a human chain around the building
‘The Kennedy Center is vital to the arts in Washington. We need it. We need this,’ Wilkinson said.
‘This is not just about putting the president’s name on the Kennedy Center. It’s about censoring the performances and the programming. That’s what started all this. So that’s what the nitty-gritty really is about this. So I want to replace all of this with love. That’s why there’s a heart.’
Alina Baciu talked about the opportunities and relationships that students at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts have with the center and how those relationships might be impacted by what’s going on.
Her daughter had numerous opportunities to take advantage of all the center had to offer as a student at Duke Ellington, she said.
‘I mean, they borrowed the beautiful costumes and the beautiful dresses from the Washington National Opera for their performances at Duke Ellington,’ she said.
They also performed on the center’s Millennium Stage.
‘All of those things have gone away because of this craziness. And it just hurts my heart,’ Baciu said.
Laura Steinberg, a volunteer for the last 10 years, said the loss of performances has already been heart- wrenching.
‘This reminds me of that picture from Tiananmen Square, where that young man stood in front of the tank,’ she said of the throngs present.
Cassandra Corcoran, Leslie Cook and other protestors hold hands as they denounce the Kennedy Center board’s vote to close one of the nation’s premier performing arts venues
People hold hands as they rally against the closing of the Kennedy Center
The demonstration capped a tumultuous week of court battles, closure announcements and uncertainty over the Kennedy Center’s future
A demonstrator in a inflatable costume rallies against the closing
Supporters highlighted the Kennedy Center’s longstanding relationships with young performers and local arts students
‘This was my visceral response to this. I’ll stand in front of the wrecking ball if it’s going to come to that. My guess is many of these people would come down because we saw what he did to the East Wing. Nobody thought he would actually do it. So I think the shock has mobilized people.’
Friday’s event followed a tumultuous week in federal courts in Washington where filings and counter-filings flooded the courts as the administration continues pushing for the president’s vanity projects.
The administration has made substantive steps to begin work on a number of projects, despite the fact they are still being litigated.
Such projects include Trump’s triumphal arch and the administration’s takeover of East Potomac Golf Links and the U.S. Institute of Peace.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said he was willing to save the center, which he said was losing money. He did not address a question about demolishing it.
‘We have a lot of people working very hard on it to save it,’ he said.
‘I can save it easily, but why should we be doing that and then raise money for the rest of our lives to keep it afloat? Because that’s what you have to do, if we get no recognition. I think the Trump administration should be recognized as having saved the Kennedy Center.’