President Donald Trump's closure of the Kennedy Center proved he lost a "bad bet" — and was the result of an error that he can't stop making, an Atlantic writer warned.
A year ago, Trump assumed control of Washington, D.C.'s premier performing-arts institution. Despite never attending a show there, he expressed confidence in his singular ability to determine the venue's direction, wrote David A. Graham.
Instead, he announced over the weekend that the center will go dark on July 4 for two years — an implicit, even if covered up, acknowledgment of failure, Graham wrote. And Trump's dealings with the arts center reflected a consistent pattern — believing his judgment supersedes expert opinion and that a "silent majority" supports his interventions.
"It turns out, though, that a 79-year-old New York–born billionaire whose tastes run to gilded accents and kitschy musicals isn’t a good proxy for either the general population or arts patrons in Washington," Graham wrote.
Trump stated on Truth Social: "I have determined that The Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding, can be, without question, the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World. The temporary closure will produce a much faster and higher quality result!"
But the explanation contradicts Trump's previous statements, Graham wrote. In October, he posted that "Many major improvements" were underway, including marble armrests on chairs, but declared: "We are remaining fully open during construction, renovation, and beautification."
In December, after adding his name to the building's facade, Trump boasted: "We saved the building. The building was in such bad shape, both physically, financially and every other way. And now it's very solid, very strong." One month later, he claimed: "A year ago it was in a state of financial and physical collapse. Wait until you see it a year from now!!! Like our Country, itself, it will rise from the ashes."
Now Trump declares the center will be closed and dark for two years. His contradictory statements, combined with the absence of independent board oversight or Congressional notification, render these repair claims largely unverifiable, Graham wrote.
"A more plausible reason for the closing is that under Trump, the Kennedy Center can’t hold on to staff, artists, or audiences," he added.
Trump fired respected president Deborah Rutter and replaced her with Richard Grenell, a political operative with no arts experience. According to The Washington Post, "Almost every head of programming has resigned or been dismissed."
Kevin Couch, the new programming head, quit less than two weeks after his hiring was announced. Prominent artists have withdrawn: composer Philip Glass canceled a commissioned symphony, opera singer Renée Fleming canceled performances, and the Washington National Opera announced its departure. Jazz musician Chuck Redd canceled his long-running Christmas Eve concert after Grenell threatened $1 million in legal action.
Grenell attributed artist departures to politics, posting on X: "The left is boycotting the Arts because Trump is supporting the Arts. The Arts are for everyone—and the Left is mad about it." However, Trump initiated the politicization by asserting unprecedented presidential control over programming.
Folk guitarist Yasmin Williams reported that an organized group attended her performance to heckle her.
Ticket sales have collapsed dramatically. The Washington Post found, "43 percent of tickets remained unsold for the typical production. That means that, at most, 57 percent of tickets were sold for the typical production." This compares unfavorably to fall 2024, when 93 percent of tickets were sold or given away. Despite Grenell's directive that only profitable shows be booked, the center is driving patrons away. CNN reported the Kennedy Center could not book performances for next season.
Trump believed his personal taste would make the venue wildly popular," Graham wrote. Instead, his taste proved disconnected from Washington arts patrons' preferences. Popular culture has remained "stubbornly indifferent to MAGA aesthetics."
"Trump keeps making a version of this error," Graham wrote. "His first term was a series of overreaches, all confidently executed in the belief that the silent majority would back him. Instead, he lost in 2020. His second-term win renewed his overconfidence. Now he believes that because many Americans wanted tighter border security, they will also support violent crackdowns in the streets of American cities; instead, his immigration approval keeps sinking.
"He believes that because he won the election in part on his promises to fix the economy, Americans are willing to tolerate high inflation; instead, polls show that voters’ confidence in the future is declining."
Trump demonstrated this pattern explicitly, writing, "I am doing the same thing to the United States of America, but only on a 'slightly' larger scale!"
"This time around, his harshest critics might be the first ones to agree," Graham concluided.
