Kennedy Center VP Roma Daravi says nothing is being demolished and tells viewers to ignore reports otherwise
Roma DaraviVice President of Public Relations of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in a televised interview on Real America's Voice's "Just the News, No Noise"
In a Sept. 16 interview on Real America's Voice's "Just the News, No Noise," Kennedy Center vice president of public relations Roma Daravi said nothing is being demolished. She told viewers to ignore media reports saying otherwise, stating that no one has said that coming from the institution.
“Nothing is being demolished. Ignore the media that is saying that because no one has ever said that coming from the institution. I can promise you that.”
Original video
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should Donald Trump link the Kennedy Center's renovation to recognition for his administration?
On September 15, 2026, a federal judge barred the Kennedy Center board, chaired by Donald Trump, from inscribing "renovated and restored by Donald J. Trump" on its main building or renaming the grounds for him. The board then voted to close the main building, and Trump posted that renovation "cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board's approved name" and "will not take place" if that ruling is negative and not overturned. In Charlotte on September 16 he said the administration "should certainly have recognition. Because frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down." The White House says the center will "inevitably continue to decline" without his intervention; Rep. Joyce Beatty's lawyers wrote that Trump said "if he is not recognized on the building, it will close and be ripped down." The dispute is over whether the renovation should depend on recognition for Trump's administration and what his remarks mean.
Source and context
Original video
About this source
Full-episode upload by the Just the News channel (uploaded 2026-09-16 23:33 UTC, 46:54 long) of the Real America's Voice show 'Just the News, No Noise'. The quoted wording is our transcription of the video audio, checked in several independent passes that agree. A video frame at about 32:05 shows the on-screen lower third 'ROMA DARAVI / Kennedy Center Vice President, PR' with the Real America's Voice and Just the News No Noise logos. Punctuation is ours. The uploaded file contains the guest segment twice (about 24:28-34:13 and 35:45-45:30). The audio transcription renders her surname as 'Dharavi' in the host's introduction; the on-screen graphic and CBS's correction note give 'Daravi'.
Reporting
About this source
News article (published 11:06 AM ET Sept. 17, updated 8:24 PM ET). It quotes two fragments of Daravi's remarks, 'nothing is being demolished' and 'the media that is saying that because no one has ever said that coming from the institution', which match the recording word for word. The lede says her remark came 'Before Mr. Trump's comments' while the body says 'Wednesday night'; the recording does not state its own air time and we could not establish its order relative to Trump's Charlotte remark.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
On Sept. 15, Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the Kennedy Center board could not put President Trump's name on the building, the board voted to close the center for renovations, and Trump posted on Truth Social that the closing would take place immediately. On Sept. 16, fencing went up around the center and executive director Matt Floca ordered a seven-day closure of most public spaces in the main building on safety grounds.
After the quotation
The same evening, Trump told reporters in Charlotte that the Trump administration should have recognition for getting involved with the Kennedy Center and referred to the center closing and being "ripped down." On Sept. 17, Judge Cooper ordered the defendants to give more than 30 days' written notice before any change to the scope of the project plans, including any "demolition" of the Center's main building.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Daravi says nothing is being demolished and tells viewers to disregard reports to the contrary, which disputes a description of the situation without saying whether tying the closure or renovation to recognition is justified or wrong. The closest competing label is “Defended or excused”, because she speaks for an institution whose board Trump chairs. That loses because the quoted words consist of her denial and her instruction to disregard the reports, and they do not say that the position or the closure is justified, acceptable or reasonable.
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More from this case
Read the full caseSheldon Whitehouse says Trump appointees' conduct is hard to square with the board's fiduciary duty
“Not easy to see how any of this behavior of Trump appointees comports with the board’s fiduciary duty to the Center.”Read statement
Dechicchis criticizes putting recognition ahead of improvements
“In Trump’s mind, if he doesn’t get the recognition he feels he deserves, there’s no point in continuing improvements on the center.”Read statement
Kerry Kennedy says Congress already funded the Kennedy Center's restoration and tells Trump "That's not your job"
“this is the memorial created by the United States Congress to a slain president. So, putting Trump's name on it would be like renaming the Washington Monument the Trump Washington Monument or the Trump Lincoln Memorial or the Trump Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. ... And their argument is they're not -- there is not money for it. But in the Big Beautiful Bill, they -- the Congress passed $246 million in order to restore the Kennedy Center. So that's just not true. ... So President Trump, do your job. Focus on the people's pain and the work that you're supposed to do in the -- in the Oval Office and not on the Kennedy Center. That's not your job.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Kennedy Center VP Roma Daravi says nothing is being demolished and tells viewers to ignore reports otherwise". First published: 2026-09-19. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1188-in-a-sept-16-interview-on-real-america