President Trump raised the prospect of demolishing the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, first in a legal brief and later in public comments, even showing a poster titled “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED” on Air Force One. The White House and the Kennedy Center have not clarified how seriously the idea is being considered, but legal experts say Trump cannot easily demolish the building.

A federal judge ordered the administration to give 30 days’ notice before any demolition plan to allow legal challenges. Beyond court rulings, the center’s founding law, passed by Congress in 1958 and amended in 1964, requires it to serve as a “living memorial” for President Kennedy, making demolition legally incompatible. Representative Joyce Beatty invoked this statute in a lawsuit against Trump’s plan to add his name and close the center for a $257 million renovation.

A judge ordered the name removed and blocked the closure. The center’s top leader recently closed the building citing “acute risks to public safety,” while the annex known as the Reach remains open. Experts, including lawyer Paul Edmondson, say legal protections make demolition unlikely, though the administration’s unpredictability leaves room for uncertainty.