Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick shared video on Monday that he said showed part of a ceiling collapsing inside Washington's Kennedy Center, calling the performing arts venue unsafe and arguing it requires extensive renovation as a legal and political battle over the institution continues. The footage, later amplified by President Donald Trump on Truth Social, comes months after Trump overhauled the Kennedy Center's leadership and as lawsuits continue challenging changes to the center's governance and direction. Newsweek reached out to the Kennedy Center via email for comment.
The Kennedy Center ceiling collapsed on September 4 after an evening of heavy rain in the D.C. area. The moment was captured in a video and a series of screenshot images where debris can be seen scattered on the carpet and a visible hole can be seen in the 60-foot ceiling. Annotated images posted by Lutnick claim the section that fell measured roughly 4 by 5 feet, and weighed more than 150 pounds.
The Kennedy Center said on social media after the incident: “Another warning we can’t ignore. A section of the Grand Foyer ceiling collapsed after this week’s storms. Thankfully no one was hurt.
Decades of deferred maintenance made this inevitable. Chairman President Trump has been right: America’s cultural center needs to close, renovate, and be restored—now.” Sharing a video on his official X account, Lutnick wrote: “Here is the video of the ceiling of the Kennedy Center crashing violently onto the main Lobby floor. Failing roofing, collapsing concrete supports, and steel that is rotting have created completely unsafe conditions.” The footage, reportedly captured on security cameras, appears to show material from the ceiling crashing to the floor of the lobby.
Lutnick said that the falling material missed one of the Center’s security guards “by just minutes,” adding that, “If a performance had been underway, patrons could have been killed.” “The entire building is in this kind of shape. People cannot be allowed to go into this building any longer. It must be closed and reconstructed, and a major fundraising effort must take place to cover the Kennedy Center’s operating expenses,” Lutnick wrote.
For the Kennedy Center, that has historically been $80-$100 million a year. Only President Trump can deliver the renovation on time and on budget, and only President Trump can raise the money to keep the Center out of bankruptcy." The video of the ceiling collapse was later shared on Truth Social by Trump, who posted it without a comment or caption. The apparent ceiling collapse comes after Trump dramatically reshaped the Kennedy Center’s inner workings earlier this year, replacing board members and installing allies in key leadership positions.
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