Whitehouse comments on the Kennedy Center’s future
Sheldon WhitehouseU.S. senator from Rhode Island and ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board of trustees
In a Guardian interview, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said events had entered a “third stage” in which the Kennedy Center faced a threat of destruction if its trustees did not obtain the renaming sought by President Trump. He characterized that condition as incompatible with trustees’ duty to put the institution’s welfare first.
“Now they’ve moved into a third stage in which they are threatening the actual destruction of the Kennedy Center if they don’t get their renaming.”
Interview
Other statements by Sheldon Whitehouse in this case
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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
Interview
About this source
Guardian analysis by David Smith. The article reports direct interviews with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Kerry Kennedy about President Trump’s statements linking the Kennedy Center’s future to recognition for his administration. It also summarizes the court order and related events; the linked position records rely only on the quoted interview responses.
Before the quotation
Guardian reported the remarks after President Trump linked the Kennedy Center’s future to recognition for his administration and after court orders concerning the center’s name and physical changes.
After the quotation
Whitehouse said trustees must put the welfare of the center first and that courts could intervene if the center is not run lawfully.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Whitehouse characterizes the alleged threat as destructive and contrary to trustees’ legal duty to the institution.
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- People and groups discussed
- Donald Trump
More from this case
Read the full caseDechicchis 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
Trump tells TIME "I'm not committing to anything" on the Kennedy Center, says his administration "should be recognized"
“I’m not committing to anything. We’re going to see how it plays out in court,” … “But if I build it, and if I agree that for the rest of my life, I’m going to be putting up $100 million to have it open to people … then I think the Trump administration should be recognized.” … “Well, why would I want to stick with something that’s going to lose hundreds of millions of dollars, and I’m not even recognized?” … “It’s not me; it’s the administration.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Whitehouse comments on the Kennedy Center’s future". First published: 2026-09-21. Last updated: 2026-09-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/1296-in-a-guardian-interview-sen-sheldon-whitehouse-said