President Donald Trump was photographed on Air Force One looking at a board with the words ‘Kennedy’ and ‘demolish’, sparking fears about the Kennedy Center. 

Published on: Sep 17, 2026, 14:42:07 IST

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President Donald Trump was pictured looking at a board with the words ‘Kennedy’ and ‘demolish’ sparking fears about the Republican seeking to demolish the Kennedy Center.

The Republican was seen onboard the plane as it landed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on September 16, 2026. Trump was returning from Gastonia, North Carolina after campaigning for Republican US Senate candidate Michael Whatley ahead of the midterms. The photos were taken by Brendan Smialowski.

These photos were widely shared on social media with many asking whether Trump had plans to demolish the Kennedy Center. This comes amid a row where the Kennedy Center remains closed after a court ruled that Trump could not put his name on the Washington DC building.

The center is closed as a Trump-aligned board votes for renovations, amid reported severe financial struggles, and urgent safety issues.

Will Trump demolish Kennedy Center?

Trump's photos had several critics asking whether he intended to demolish the Kennedy Center. “Trump appears to be planning to “Demolish” the Kennedy Center since he isn’t allowed to put his name on it,” one wrote.

Another added "Trump looks at a placard that reads "Kennedy Center DEMOLITION" as he lands at Joint Base Andrews tonight". Yet another said “President Trump reviews what looks like a potential plan to demolish the Kennedy Center on Air Force One.”

However, the president has not directly said anything about demolishing the Kennedy Center, though he did bring up the venue being ‘ripped down’ while speaking to Fox.

Speaking of why his name should be on the Kennedy Center, Trump said “For me to go and fix it and subsidize it, I think the Trump Administration should have recognition. If we don’t do that, it’s going to close and get ripped down.”

The Washingtonian in February 2026 reported that Trump could not legally demolish the Kennedy Center, and could be held accountable if he went ahead with an unsanctioned demolition.

Kennedy Center closure row and forklift incident

Trump's remarks and photos come amid a row over the Kennedy Center being closed down and an alleged forklift incident that took place there.

The White House released a statement on the Kennedy Center closure, saying “The Kennedy Center Board voted nearly unanimously to close the building immediately for safety reasons and prepare for reconstruction. Renovation cannot begin until the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board’s approved name. In the meantime, $17M raised by President Trump has been placed in the Kennedy Center account to keep it afloat.”

However, X users were quick to add context and say “Congress recently allocated $257M for Kennedy Center renovations. However, the funds have not been used yet. The project is halted as President Trump is withholding the money amid a legal battle to add his name to the building.”

A day after the Kennedy Center closure, construction crews reportedly erected metal fencing around the building. They reportedly barred workers from entering without hard hats. A part of the legal team fighting Trump's attempts of putting his name on building wrote that she saw a forklift ‘run into and hit the pillars on the building several times,’ as per a report from The Independent.

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