WP: Kennedy Centre cuts staff as Trump-led overhaul faces legal battle

The Kennedy Centre has laid off more than a dozen employees as its main building remains closed amid a legal dispute over President Donald Trump’s plans for the US national cultural institution.

Three people familiar with the cuts told The Washington Post that layoffs affected senior staff, including the centre’s top spokesperson Roma Daravi and head of board relations Joe LaFauci.

The cuts affected IT, communications, marketing and sales. At least nine of the 14 employees laid off had joined the centre after Trump took control in February 2025, according to their LinkedIn profiles.

The latest dismissals follow the resignation of chief financial officer Donna Arduin, who had served in the role since shortly after the Trump takeover.

The centre’s Trump-led board voted on September 15 to close the main building for about two years for renovations. It was closed to the public later that day and has remained inaccessible.

However, US District Judge Christopher Cooper had said officials needed his permission before implementing the long-term closure plan.

Executive director Matt Floca separately ordered most public areas closed for seven days, citing “acute risks to public safety”. Officials pointed to deteriorating conditions, including ceiling plaster that fell about 60 feet into the Grand Foyer during a storm on 4 September, as well as water intrusion and corrosion.

On the night of September 18, Justice Department lawyers representing the Kennedy Centre asked Judge Cooper to allow the two-year closure for renovations.

More than 100 employees have resigned or been dismissed since Trump took control of the institution in February 2025. Further layoffs followed as the centre prepared for the closure.

The Kennedy Centre is also facing financial difficulties. Internal forecasts showed officials expected about $124 million of $220 million in budgeted revenue by May, leaving a projected deficit of roughly $23 million despite spending cuts.

Centre leaders have blamed previous management for long-standing financial and maintenance problems and said Trump’s leadership is needed to restore the institution.

Trump said on September 18 that his administration should be recognised for saving the Kennedy Centre, arguing that “nobody else could do it”.

By Aghakazim Guliyev