WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that he won’t tear down the Kennedy Center but said it needs to be closed for about two years for work that cannot be done with patrons coming and going for shows and other performances.

Within hours of the announcement, speculation took off online that the building could be torn down, similar to previous discussions surrounding major changes to the White House East Wing. The president pushed back on those rumors,

President Donald Trump made the unexpected announcement on Feb. 1 that the Kennedy Center will close for two years to undergo a "complete rebuilding"

As CNN’s Daniel Dale fact-checked, overall prices have increased during Trump’s second term, Consumer Price Index data shows. In December 2025, average consumer prices were 2.7% higher than they were in December 2024 — and far more products have gotten more expensive since Trump’s inauguration than have gotten cheaper.