Renewed calls for Trump-backed Kennedy Center repairs after part of foyer ceiling falls

September 5, 2026 / 4:52 PM EDT / CBS/AP

A chunk of ceiling fell inside a main hallway of the Kennedy Center, which underscores the need to shut down the historic arts venue for renovations sought by President Trump, a spokesperson said.

No one was injured when a piece of the ceiling inside the Kennedy Center's grand foyer partially collapsed Friday evening, said Roma Daravi, the center's vice president for public relations.

Photos provided by the center showed a large hole in the high ceiling and debris littering the red carpet in part of the hallway that connects the Kennedy Center's three main performance auditoriums. The damage occurred during stormy weather in Washington.

"The reality is, the place is falling apart and @realDonaldTrump wants to fix it," Daravi said in a social media post with the photos.

.@TKCOfficial ceiling collapsed, yet @wapo @nytimes @TheAtlantic @Reuters @AP @USATODAY — the list goes on — are nowhere to be found. 👀Absolutely insane lack of journalistic integrity… the mainstream media are ignoring this breaking news bc it doesn’t fit their biased agenda… pic.twitter.com/pJqBlTw2Ml

"There is no legitimate reason to further halt the renovations," Daravi said in another post. "The longer the delay, the…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/