11 claims involving the Kennedy Center we've investigated

The historic Washington, D.C., performing arts center has been in the spotlight since Trump's second term began. Published Sept. 21, 2026 The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., commonly known as the Kennedy Center, has been home to a wide array of performances since it opened in 1971. It was also home to the Kennedy Center Honors, a coveted recognition of lifetime achievement in the performing arts. During his second term in office, U.S. President Donald Trump reshaped the Kennedy Center board to more closely align with his own goals. The president's focus on the performing arts center had cascading effects, including Trump adding his name to the building only for it to be removed by court order. Following a judge's decision that Trump's name could not be returned to the building, the board voted to close the venue, sparking some critics of the administration to call for an emergency hearing to discuss the matter. With the future of the Kennedy Center in question, we took a look through the Snopes archives for fact checks we've conducted pertaining to the venue. Sources Brown, Bridget. "Live Updates: Trump Goes After Supreme Court for Rejecting His Push to Restrict Mail Ballots." AP News, 15 Sept. 2026, https://apnews.com/live/supreme-court-mail-ballots-trump-news-updates-09-15-2026. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026."President Trump Adds His Own Name to the Kennedy Center." NPR, 18 Dec. 2025, https://www.npr.org/2025/12/18/nx-s1-5648519/kennedy-center-name-change-trump. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.Semones, Evan. "Kennedy Center Closes Amid Financial Crisis and Trump Name Dispute." Al Jazeera, 15 Sept. 2026, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/15/kennedy-center-closes-amid-financial-crisis-and-trump-name-dispute. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.Sloan, Steven, and Ashraf Khalil. "Kennedy Center Board Votes to Close Over Finances and Trump Dispute." AP News, 15 Sept. 2026, https://apnews.com/article/kennedy-center-closure-board-trump-ruling-1dfbfaac695f6817719477101b971a54. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026."The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts - Our Story." Www.Kennedy-Center.Org, https://www.kennedy-center.org/our-story/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.Travers, Karen, et al. "Trump Says Kennedy Center Could Be 'Ripped Down' If He Doesn't Get 'Recognition.'" ABC News, 17 Sept. 2026, https://abcnews.com/Politics/trump-kennedy-center-ripped-recognition/story?id=136513298. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.WEISSERT, WILL. "Trump Says He's Firing Kennedy Center Board of Trustees Members and Naming Himself Chairman." AP News, 8 Feb. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/trump-kennedy-center-board-chairman-firings-21cd0018c6e9f591d59becea8573d8c0. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.Kennedy-Center.Org, 2021, https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/honors/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026. By Joey Esposito Joey Esposito has written for a variety of entertainment publications. He's into music, video games ... and birds. Article Tags