As I understand it, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts — the physical building and grounds — is the property of the United States Government, although its operation is the responsibility of a public-private partnership. (Note that I said “responsibility” . . . though that hardly describes what its current Board of Trustees has exhibited over the past 20 months.)

It was, of course, built in tribute to the memory of the late President John F. Kennedy — a visible, ever-present thorn in the side of the current occupant of the Oval Office: a reminder that it is unlikely that anyone will ever think of honoring him in similar fashion.

What the Kennedy Center is not is the personal property of Donald Trump. It is not his container of Play-Doh, to be shaped, mashed into an unrecognizable pile, and reshaped as the mood strikes him. But — despite Constitutional prohibitions, court orders, and all of the laws of common decency — he has now taken it upon himself to shut it down in an infantile fit of temper because he has been told he may not add his name to the facade of the building.

His hand-picked Board of Trustees announced yesterday that it had voted to close the building, allegedly for repairs needed for “safety reasons.” But in a social media post, Trump said the repairs — for which Congress has already allocated $257 million — would only be made if the Board is allowed to add his name to the building.

Never mind that a federal judge has twice ruled that that cannot be done without Congressional approval. In his ruling yesterday, Judge Christopher Cooper said:

“Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing.” [Steven Sloan and Ashraf Khalil, AP, September 15, 2026.]

So what do you do with a stalemate?

Well, no one has asked for my opinion (nor are they likely to), but I’m going to offer a suggestion anyway.

Trump and his Board of Merry Sycophants have already indicated that the Center would be closed for repairs and redecorating for about two years in any event. So I say, let it remain closed, without the gaudy, Trump-style “upgrading,” until this administration is history. Since the building and grounds belong to the government, its general maintenance during that time should be attended to by the appropriate federal agency, to prevent its falling into complete disrepair.

Then, shortly after January 20, 2029, whatever repair work really needs to be done can be undertaken, with a grand reopening to follow as soon as possible. At that time, only John F. Kennedy’s name will be on the facade; that beautiful bronze bust of JFK will be back in its rightful place in the Grand Foyer; a new Board of Trustees — comprised of people with the requisite knowledge and appreciation of a full range of performing arts — will announce the new season’s schedule; and Washington will celebrate a return to the cultural diversity for which the Kennedy Center has always been known and loved.

It may turn out to be more complicated than I have imagined, but it can be done. It has to be, because we cannot allow the nation — or its capital city — to be indelibly ruined by a malignant narcissist who is incapable of facing reality.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is legally owned by the United States Government; but in spirit it belongs to the American people, as Kennedy himself would have wanted. And We the People want it back.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/16/26