Streisand criticises Trump over Kennedy Center closure fight

Barbra Streisand has accused US President Donald Trump of putting personal pride ahead of the Kennedy Center as the Washington venue prepares to close temporarily.

In a website statement published on 17 September 2026, the singer said the turmoil around the centre was galling and painful to witness and blamed what she called Trump's "unchecked ego", according to Rolling Stone. She spoke as a former Kennedy Center honouree with a long connection to the institution. The statement closed with an appeal for Americans to vote in the coming midterm elections.

The dispute centres on a name. The Trump-appointed board voted to close the centre after a federal judge blocked an effort to add Trump's name to the building's facade. The board said the temporary closure was necessary because the centre was headed for bankruptcy and would lack funds to pay staff.

Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that Trump's name had been added to the building illegally and barred the board from placing it on the building and grounds. The judge also ordered the board to give 30 days' notice before making any major physical changes to the building. He said restoring Trump's name in any form would breach the earlier ruling.

Trump had threatened to cancel a planned $257 million renovation if his name was not placed on the building. Reuters reported on 15 September that the centre would shut for repairs after the judge's order. The board later described the decision as a unanimous vote by trustees for a temporary closure for a comprehensive revitalisation project.

Streisand questioned the need to close the building for repairs. In her message, she claimed a "humiliated" Trump ordered a large tarp placed over the facade after the judge ordered his name removed. That account comes from her statement alone. It has not been adopted as a finding by the court.

The context is personal for her. The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. is a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. Streisand was honoured in 2008 as a member of the 31st annual class of Kennedy Center honourees, as noted by Variety. She described watching the dispute unfold as painful because of that history.

Reporting around the closure also raised concerns that Trump could seek demolition of the building, a concern noted by Billboard. The board has not framed the plan in those terms. Its announcement presents the shutdown as a temporary measure tied to repairs and long-term revitalisation.

For audiences, this means a period of uncertainty for performances booked at one of the country's most prominent arts venues. No reopening date has been confirmed in the materials cited. What is confirmed is the court order: no name change and no major physical alteration without advance notice.