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Kennedy Center Ceiling Collapses Amid Trump-Backed Closure Plan
Confirmed
In Short: A partial ceiling collapse at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., has underscored the need for renovations, as the center's board, led by former President Trump, voted to close the building for two years.
Photos shared by the Kennedy Center on Saturday showed a section of the ceiling had collapsed during a rainstorm in the main hallway. The collapse has been cited as a reason to close the over 50-year-old performing arts building for two years, a decision made by the center's board, which is led by former President Trump. No one was injured, but debris littered the red carpet, and the main building was closed immediately afterward.
Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations for the Kennedy Center, stated that the collapse highlighted the need for renovations. The center had previously removed a piece of modern artwork, 'Blue,' outside the building, saying they were honored to have been stewards of the late sculptor Joel Shapiro's work.
Meanwhile, concerns about data centers are growing across the country. In a loose, but large, populist coalition, voters are fighting the rise of data centers at the ballot box, with yard signs, in courts, and at all levels of government. An NBC News Decision Desk Poll found that 69% of respondents oppose the construction of AI data centers in their local area, with 45% strongly opposing the idea.
Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa., have taken opposing stances on data centers. Husted was a full-throated advocate for data centers when he was the state’s lieutenant governor, while Shapiro signed new regulations to encourage their location in his state.
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- Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts following a federal court ruling.
- But on this bit of policy they agree: Data centers are proliferating across the American landscape too fast.
- Vogel voted earlier this year for a moratorium that temporarily bans data centers from setting up shop in her heavily Republican county, which favored President Donald Trump 63% to 35% in 2024.
- “I don’t think this is a Republican or Democratic issue,” Vogel said on the sidelines of the Iowa State Association of Counties’ annual conference here in late August, adding that she hasn’t talked to a single voter at home who wants data centers.
- “The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post at the end of August.
- These voters, who span the political spectrum, said they don’t want data centers anywhere near their communities.
- “All of the data centers that are starting to pop up in areas, I find that troublesome because it drives utility costs for citizens in the area,” said Tamara Clark, 49, a Democratic voter who works in the healthcare industry.
- A rainy night in Washington, D.C., turned into an unexpected maintenance headache at the Kennedy Center on Friday.