作者：[贝琪·克莱因]、[克里斯滕·霍姆斯]、[森伦·塞尔法蒂]
6分钟前
发布于 2026年2月2日，美国东部时间晚上9:57
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2月2日，华盛顿特区肯尼迪中心外观。
布伦丹·斯米奥洛夫斯基/法新社/盖蒂图片社
美国总统唐纳德·特朗普周一暗示，肯尼迪中心的[两年翻修项目]可能会极具戏剧性——这是一次近乎彻底拆除的拆除工程，但程度严重到会使这座华盛顿建筑的钢铁结构”完全外露”。
一位接近该中心的消息人士称，特朗普对如何改造这座建筑有非常具体的想法，而这些尚未公开的想法与该建筑的现状不符。
CNN查阅的一份文件显示，一位官员称该文件已提交给国会的一些拨款者，其中考虑了重大变更——包括更换外部大理石和屋顶、改善安全设施以及更换座椅——但并未明确说明该剧院综合体可能被拆除至骨架状态。
“我不会把它拆毁。我会利用现有的钢材。所以我们会使用现有的结构，”特朗普在椭圆形办公室对记者表示。
“钢材将全部经过检查，因为它会被完全暴露出来，”他估计该项目可能耗资约2亿美元。
计划中的两年闭馆施工，是特朗普在去年监督其文化转型后，迄今为止最引人注目的一次中心改造努力。重返白宫后，他迅速[撤换了其董事会]并任命了忠诚者，这些人[选举他为董事长]，并在12月投票将该场馆[更名为”特朗普肯尼迪中心”]——这一举措正在[法庭上受到质疑]。但这些变更也导致票务销售下滑和演出减少，因为著名艺术家已[取消演出]——一些人认为这推动了临时关闭的愿望。
一位熟悉该项目的消息人士称，所有计划中的翻修都已概述，并作为特朗普去年夏天国内议程法案中包含的2.57亿美元的一部分提交给国会的至少部分人员，用于”必要的资本修复、恢复、维护积压和安全结构”（CNN已联系负责公共建筑的参议院委员会主席）。
但一些人担心会出现另一个东翼（注：指特朗普政府曾引发争议的东翼改造计划）的情况，即华盛顿有一天会面临超出居民想象的拆除。
消息人士驳斥了总统周一的评论，称这是典型的特朗普夸大其词，一位政府官员表示没有拆除任何建筑物的计划。
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2月2日，华盛顿特区肯尼迪中心。
布伦丹·斯米奥洛夫斯基/法新社/盖蒂图片社
一位熟悉情况的消息人士称，特朗普2025年初重返白宫时，肯尼迪中心需要大量维护，包括乐池升级、浴室翻新和新的暖通空调系统。两位熟悉该项目的消息人士称，有10至15年的维护工作积压。
在特朗普第二任期初期，肯尼迪中心聘请了各种专家讨论翻修的潜在方案，包括完全拆除该建筑，第一位熟悉该项目的消息人士向CNN透露。
在特朗普3月的首次[场馆参观]期间，总统询问了各种方案，并告诉官员他不想拆除该建筑，而是希望从国会获得翻修资金。特朗普在返回白宫途中曾就这一概念与国会议员进行通话，最终肯尼迪中心获得了2.57亿美元用于运营和翻修。
CNN已联系肯尼迪中心，询问翻修的具体程度，包括是否需要任何拆除工作、是否会有重大结构或外观变更，以及2019年开放的扩建部分”Reach”是否会被保留。
肯尼迪中心发言人表示，翻修”将主要侧重于积压的维护工作”。
意外宣布
然而，总统在Truth Social上宣布翻修的消息令许多人感到意外，包括中心董事会的一些成员、内部音乐家、国家交响乐团董事会成员和许多员工，四位知情人士表示。一位在特朗普周日晚间宣布前就知道该决定的消息人士称，这个决定只告知了少数人，以防止被媒体泄露。
特朗普在Truth Social帖子中补充说，闭馆”将完全由董事会批准”，考虑到董事会成员均由他挑选的盟友组成，这预计会获得橡皮图章式的批准。一位熟悉该流程的消息人士称，自总统发布帖子以来，还没有就任何计划中的投票与董事会进行沟通，目前尚不清楚是否需要董事会批准。
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2月2日，一名工人离开肯尼迪中心。
布伦丹·斯米奥洛夫斯基/法新社/盖蒂图片社
两年的完全闭馆并非一直是原计划。第一个熟悉该项目的消息人士称之为”原谅灰尘倡议”的一个计划，将在翻修期间部分关闭剧院约五年。该计划已提交给特朗普、至少一个董事会小组委员会和建筑维护负责人，并且翻修工作在过去六个月已经开始——包括大理石安装、枯死树木移除以及外部灯光和柱子的粉刷。
但该消息人士称，该组织内部和工会对此倡议有强烈反对，特别是关于拆除剧院某些部分将如何影响观众和声学效果。在内部，一些表演者和官员也担心永久性建筑工地的危险。
特朗普周一表达了他对这种”零散”方法的反对。
“你无法进行任何工作，因为人们会进进出出，”他在椭圆形办公室说。”我们那边有个大理石工人。前几天他说，’你知道，每次我铺一块大理石，人们就会踩在上面。他们甚至没有时间让它干燥。’”
特朗普继续说道：”我在想也许有办法同时进行，但实际上并没有。”
财务挑战
宣布闭馆之际，肯尼迪中心正努力维持下一年的节目安排。
一位熟悉中心节目安排的消息人士称，2026-2027年的节目季（涵盖古典音乐、戏剧、舞蹈、爵士乐和家庭活动）缺乏足够的吸引力。该季秋季开始，艺术家通常在2月至4月期间滚动公布。另一位熟悉节目安排的消息人士称，到每年这个时候，节目应该基本已预订完毕。
但据第一位熟悉节目安排的消息人士称，许多讨论中的演出和艺术家以及为下一季保留的演出都已退出。该消息人士指出，内部有人担心观众不足、基础设施和营销问题。
“各流派的艺术家抵制变得难以维持，”第二位消息人士说，这似乎使得”他们无法制作任何有意义的系列演出”。
2025-2026演出季的一些演出已经签约并公开宣布。据第二位消息人士称，目前尚不清楚这些演出将如何处理，各方正在紧急协商。
肯尼迪中心未回应CNN关于订阅用户计划及是否可能获得退款的置评请求。
消息人士称，在特朗普前驻德大使、亲密盟友理查德·格伦内尔（Richard Grenell）担任肯尼迪中心总裁的过去一年大规模裁员后，员工现在正准备迎接更多裁员。
周日晚间，格伦内尔向员工发送了一条包含特朗普社交媒体帖子文本和他简短评论的消息。
“我们认识到，在我们计划暂时关闭大部分运营时，这会带来许多问题，”他说。
“未来几天我们将提供有关人员配备和运营变更的更多信息。”
CNN的达娜·巴什对本报道有贡献。
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Trump hints at dramatic Kennedy Center renovations that will leave steel ‘fully exposed’
By [Betsy Klein], [Kristen Holmes], [Sunlen Serfaty]
6 min ago
PUBLISHED Feb 2, 2026, 9:57 PM ET
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A view of the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on February 2.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Monday suggested the Kennedy Center’s [two-year renovation project] could be dramatic — a demolition effort short of a complete teardown, but one so severe that it would leave the Washington building’s steel “fully exposed.”
A source close to the center said Trump has very specific ideas about what he wants to do to the building, and those ideas — which have not been publicly released — don’t align with the building’s current state.
A document reviewed by CNN, which an official said was presented to some appropriators in Congress, contemplates serious changes — including exterior marble and roofing replacements, security and safety improvements, and seating replacement — but does not make explicit that the theater complex could be stripped to its bones.
“I’m not ripping it down. I’ll be using the steel. So we’re using the structure,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“The steel will be all checked out because it’ll be fully exposed,” he said, estimating the project could cost around $200 million.
The planned two-year closure for construction marks Trump’s most dramatic effort yet to [overhaul the center] after he oversaw its cultural transformation last year. Upon returning to the White House, he quickly [gutted its board] and installed loyalists, who [elected him chair] and voted in December to [rename the venue] the “Trump Kennedy Center” — a move that’s being [challenged in court]. But those changes have also led to slumping ticket sales and dwindling performances as prominent artists have [canceled their appearances] — which some saw as driving the desire to temporarily close.
One source familiar with the project said all of the planned renovations were outlined and presented to at least some in Congress as part of the $257 million included in Trump’s domestic agenda law last summer for “necessary expenses for capital repair, restoration, maintenance backlog, and security structures.” (CNN has reached out to the chair of the Senate committee that has jurisdiction over public buildings.)
But some fear another East Wing situation, with Washington one day waking up [to a demolition] beyond anything residents had contemplated.
The source brushed off the president’s Monday comments as typical Trump hyperbole, and an administration official said there are no plans to tear down any buildings.
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The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, on February 2.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
The center needed significant maintenance when Trump returned to office in early 2025, according a source familiar, including upgrades to the orchestra pit, bathroom renovations and new HVAC systems. Two sources familiar with the project said there were 10 to 15 years of deferred maintenance.
Early into Trump’s second term, the Kennedy Center brought in various experts to discuss potential options for renovations, the first source familiar with the project told CNN, including tearing down the building entirely.
During Trump’s first [tour of the venue] in March, the president asked for options and told officials that he did not want to raze the building but instead wanted to get money from Congress for renovations. Trump made calls to lawmakers on the concept as he traveled back to the White House, and eventually the Kennedy Center was awarded $257 million for operations and renovations.
CNN has reached out to the Kennedy Center for details on the extent of the renovations, including whether any demolition would be required, whether there would be major structural or cosmetic changes, and whether the Reach — an expansion opened in 2019 — will be preserved.
The remodel, a Kennedy Center spokesperson said, “will focus primarily on the deferred maintenance.”
A surprise announcement
Still, the president’s Truth Social post announcing the renovations came as a surprise to many, including some members of the center’s board, its in-house musicians, members of the National Symphony Orchestra board, and many staffers, according to four sources familiar with the matter. A source who knew about the decision before Trump’s Sunday night announcement said it was kept to a small number of people to prevent it from being leaked to the media.
Trump added in his Truth Social post that the closure would be “totally subject to Board approval,” which is expected to give a rubber stamp given it’s made up of his handpicked allies. One source familiar with the process said there have been no communications with the board about any planned vote since the president’s post, and it’s unclear whether board approval is needed.
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A worker leaves the Kennedy Center on February 2.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
Complete closure for two years wasn’t always the idea. One plan — referred to by the first source familiar with the project as a “pardon-the-dust initiative” — would have partially shut down theaters during renovations for about five years. The plan was presented to Trump, at least one subcommittee of the board and the head of building maintenance, and renovations began over the last six months — including marble installations, removal of dead trees and the painting of exterior lights and columns.
But there was strong pushback to this initiative within the organization and from the unions, this source said, particularly over how removing certain elements of the theater would impact patrons and acoustics. Internally, some performers and officials were also concerned about the danger of a perpetual construction site.
Trump vocalized his own objections to the “piecemeal” approach on Monday.
“You can’t do any work because people are coming in and out,” he said in the Oval Office. “We have a marble man over there. The other day he said, ‘You know, every time I put down a piece of marble, people are stepping on the marble. They don’t even have time to dry.’”
Trump went on: “I was thinking maybe there’s a way of doing it simultaneously, but there really isn’t.”
Financial challenges
The announced closure comes as the Kennedy Center has been struggling to sustain the next year of programming.
There was not enough critical mass for a 2026-2027 programming season, spanning classical music, theater, dance, jazz and family events, a source familiar with center’s programming said. The season begins in the fall with artists usually announced on a rolling basis between February and April. By this time of year, another source familiar with programming said, it should have been largely booked.
But many of the shows and artists who were in discussions and on hold for the next season pulled out, according to the first source familiar with programming. Internally, some were concerned about lack of audiences, infrastructure and marketing, that source noted.
“The artist boycott across all genres was becoming untenable,” the second source said, and appeared to make “it quite impossible for them to produce a series of any significance.”
Some shows ending the 2025-2026 season are already under contract and have been announced publicly. It’s unclear what will happen to those performances, with a scramble to figure it out, according to the second source.
The Kennedy Center did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on its plans for subscription holders and whether they might receive a refund.
Staffers are now bracing for more layoffs, one of the sources said, after massive cuts over the past year under Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell, Trump’s former ambassador to Germany and a close ally.
On Sunday evening, Grenell sent a note to staff with the text of Trump’s social media post and his own brief message.
“We recognize this creates many questions as we plan to temporarily close most of our operations,” he said.
“We will have more information about staffing and operational changes in the coming days.”
CNN’s Dana Bash contributed to this report.
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