Donald Trump is looking over plans to demolish the Kennedy Center.
Posted by All In with Chris Hayes, Checked
- Sources
- 5 support4 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
All In with Chris HayesSep 19, 2026
As of 2026-09-19, multiple tier1 sources (Snopes, which relies on Getty/AFP photos, and Reuters/PolitiFact/USA Today reporting) confirm Trump was photographed viewing a printout reading 'Kennedy Center DEMOLISH' on Air Force One, and Trump refused to rule out demolition, so the claim that he is looking over demolition plans is supported.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… Donald Trump is doing, while diesel fuel reaches record high prices and Iran continues to block a fifth of the world's global oil supply, thanks to his war. To be fair to Donald Trump, this is not his only focus right now. You know what the other one is? Looking over plans to demolish the Kennedy Center if he cannot put his own name back on the building. In fact, just moments ago, performers and patrons of the arts gathered there for a vigil. They joined hands to form a human chain around America's preeminent performing arts center, protesting to keep Donald Trump's hands off of it. …
All In with Chris Hayes · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Snopes confirmed authentic images of Trump viewing a large printout reading 'Kennedy Center DEMOLISH', photographed by AFP's Brendan Smialowski and published by Getty on Sept. 16, 2026.[1]
Supports. The Times and ABC report Trump was photographed on Air Force One appearing to inspect a board reading 'Kennedy Center DEMOLISH' while the presidential plans were being discussed.[4][5]
Supports. Reuters reported on Sept. 18, 2026 that Trump refused to say whether he would attempt to demolish the Kennedy Center, and PolitiFact reported Trump has indicated he may tear the center down.[2][3]
Context. Trump's lawyers and officials had earlier threatened demolition in court filings if renovations were blocked; a judge later ordered 30 days' notice before any demolition steps.[6][7]
Context. The claim was made with the passage's conditional 'if he cannot put his own name back on the building'; sources describe Trump tying demolition to renaming, so the conditional framing is consistent with reporting.[4][8][9]
Sources
9 sources: 3 fact-checkers, 5 not rated, 1 tier 1
- 1Do photos show Trump viewing printout about Kennedy Center demolition?snopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Trump declines to say whether he will tear down Kennedy ...reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Can President Trump demolish the Kennedy Center? - PolitiFactpolitifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 4Trump examines ‘plan to demolish Kennedy Center’thetimes.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 5Trump seen looking at plans for Kennedy Center demolitionabc.net.au · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Trump officials threaten Kennedy Center demolition if court ...bbc.com · tier 1 · cited for: context
- 7Trump administration threatens to demolish Kennedy ...edition.cnn.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 8What's happening at Kennedy Center? Closure explainedusatoday.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 9Trump pictured reviewing ‘Demolish' plans for Kennedy Centrenews.com.au · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post