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WASHINGTON — <\/span>Thousands of people joined outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Friday evening to protest President Donald Trump’s plans<\/a> for the facility, lending their voices to a chorus of organizations and individuals who have been horrified that he might make good on his threat to close and tear down the storied institution.<\/p>\n The crowd streamed in from the nearest subway stop, crowding streets in the Foggy Bottom area of Washington and locking down traffic as they walked, many carrying signs, as they joined in \u201cHands Around the Kennedy Center.\u201d At one point some held hands and formed a human chain around the center. <\/p>\n Chris Raleigh, co-founder of Hands Off the Arts, which set up the gathering, said in an interview that he hoped the event would show that people are willing to fight to keep Trump’s plans for the building at bay.<\/p>\n One of the most iconic buildings on the Potomac River waterfront, the Kennedy Center has been a focus of Trump\u2019s remake of Washington since 2025, when he began installing favorites onto its governing board. Late last year, he had his named placed on the center. A judge ruled that Trump\u2019s name was illegally added and ordered it removed. <\/p>\n The Kennedy Center board, which is aligned with the president, voted Tuesday to close the center indefinitely for repairs<\/a> hours after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked their plans to return Trump\u2019s name to the building. On Thursday, the judge ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days\u2019 notice before making any major physical changes to the building, including demolishing it. <\/p>\n Raleigh said he, like others, is concerned that Trump could take the step without notifying the court. \u201cLook at the East Wing,\u201d he said. \u201cWe got up one morning and there was a giant hole there.\u201d<\/p>\n Raleigh said the Kennedy Center is more in the public eye than the East Wing was. He added he doesn\u2019t believe the president fully understands why people are so upset \u201cbut that\u2019s our job right? This may be the line that no one expected but this is where the line is going to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Protesters talked about the importance of the center as the pinnacle of the nation’s performing arts world. <\/p>\n Bud Wilkinson, a local member of the arts community, set up a chalkboard with Trump’s name written on it hundreds of times. Protesters flocked to him to erase the names and replace them with hearts.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Kennedy Center is vital to the arts in Washington. We need it. We need this,\u201d Wilkinson said. \u201cThis is not just about putting the president\u2019s name on the Kennedy Center. It\u2019s about censoring the performances and the programming. That\u2019s what started all this. So that\u2019s what the nitty-gritty really is about this. So I want to replace all of this with love. That\u2019s why there\u2019s a heart.\u201d<\/p>\n Alina Baciu talked about the opportunities and relationships that students at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts have with the center and how those relationships might be impacted by what’s going on.<\/p>\n Her daughter had numerous opportunities to take advantage of all the center had to offer as a student at Duke Ellington, she said. \u201cI mean, they borrowed the beautiful costumes and the beautiful dresses from the Washington National Opera for their performances at Duke Ellington,\u201d she said. They also performed on the center’s Millennium Stage.<\/p>\n “All of those things have gone away because of this craziness. And it just hurts my heart,\u201d Baciu said.<\/p>\n Laura Steinberg, a volunteer for the last 10 years, said the loss of performances has already been heart- wrenching. \u201cThis reminds me of that picture from Tiananmen Square, where that young man stood in front of the tank,\u201d she said of the throngs present. \u201cThis was my visceral response to this. I\u2019ll stand in front of the wrecking ball if it\u2019s going to come to that. My guess is many of these people would come down because we saw what he did to the East Wing. Nobody thought he would actually do it. So I think the shock has mobilized people.\u201d<\/p>\n Friday’s event followed a tumultuous week in federal courts in Washington where filings and counter-filings flooded the courts as the administration continues pushing for the president\u2019s vanity projects. The administration has made substantive steps to begin work on a number of projects, despite the fact they are still being litigated. Such projects include Trump’s triumphal arch and the administration\u2019s takeover of East Potomac Golf Links<\/a> and the U.S. Institute of Peace.<\/p>\n Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said he was willing to save the center, which he said was losing money. He did not address a question about demolishing it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a lot of people working very hard on it to save it,” he said. “I can save it easily, but why should we be doing that and then raise money for the rest of our lives to keep it afloat? Because that\u2019s what you have to do, if we get no recognition. I think the Trump administration should be recognized as having saved the Kennedy Center.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n