The fight over the Kennedy Center is not slowing down after President Trump made planned renovations contingent on his name appearing on the building while a Trump-aligned board voted to close the venue down. Federal judge Christopher Cooper has blocked both efforts, but fencing went up around the main building Wednesday, which was…
Page D2From§Eachthe sunrise edition — 17 September 2026
RIPPED DOWN CLAUSE
Denied a tribute by a federal judge, Trump threatens to demolish the Kennedy Center instead.
“They let the ceiling fall in and then hand you the estimate like it's a surprise. The same board that voted to shut the place down for two years is now telling you he'll tear the whole building down if he doesn't get his name on the wall. That's not maintenance, that's a stickup with a ribbon-cutting scheduled for after.”
“Look, the man is offering to fix a building that's literally falling apart — you saw the ceiling — and all he's asking is a little recognition for a renovation nobody else was lining up to pay for. Is that extortion? No. It's — okay, it's phrased exactly like extortion, I'll give you that, but the intent is completely — did I just defend a demolition threat by calling it thoughtful? Let me start over.”
The receipts
The White House ballroom was announced at $200 million and now costs $400 million; the East Wing was demolished for it Fortune, 6 April 2026
Trump says Kennedy Center could be 'ripped down' if he doesn't get 'recognition'The president's comments come after a federal judge on Tuesday blocked the performing arts center's board from adding a tribute to Trump on the building or site.
· Lutnick floats new way to add Trump's name to Kennedy Center from the morgue, 27 Aug 2026
· Kennedy Center ceiling partially collapses as Trump-led board pushes for 2-year closure from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· Kennedy Center removing landmark sculpture from grounds from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Trump knocks 'highly conflicted' judge in Kennedy Center case from the morgue, 31 Aug 2026
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front. The byline is a pen name for a column drafted by a machine and checked by the editor: how this is made.