WASHINGTON — A suspect poured a brown-black chemical across the outdoor ice rink at the Trump-Kennedy Center sometime overnight Thursday, wrecking the surface and killing a Friday night skating show.
U.S. Park Police have the case with no suspects yet identified and no motive announced.
“This was not a protest, this was vandalism,” Center officials said.
Roma Daravi, the Center’s VP of public relations, didn’t mince words. She called it a “calculated, malicious attack” and said video footage has already been handed to investigators.
“Today, a targeted attack on the Trump Kennedy Center vandalized and destroyed our outdoor arena, causing severe damage that we unfortunately must cancel tonight’s performance,” Daravi told Fox News Friday. “We have turned over video footage to the authorities who are investigating this calculated, malicious attack and will hold those responsible accountable.”
Le Patin Libre, a Canadian artistic skating troupe booked for the whole weekend, got the worst of it. Their Friday show is gone. Staff say they’re scrambling to fix the rink and get the rest of the schedule back on track.
Center president Richard Grenell pointed the finger at Democrats.
“This is so sad and unnecessary,” he wrote on X.
He went further, saying the vandalism fits a pattern. Democrats have been pushing artists to bail on shows and “attacking the Center non-stop,” Grenell said. Death threats and harassment have been rolling in for months, he added, and he wants “commonsense Democrats” to say something before it gets worse.
“And now they have mentally unstable people taking action, and vandalizing the Center,” Grenell wrote.
The Kennedy Center has been a lightning rod since late last year. In December 2025, the board of trustees voted unanimously to slap Trump’s name on the building, making it the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. Trump became chairman of the board shortly after. Then earlier this month came the announcement of a July 4 closure for a full renovation.
Nobody has said publicly what the chemical was. Daravi posted on X that the outdoor plaza got “doused with a toxic chemical” and warned the Center “will not tolerate violence or hate at America’s cultural center.”
Officials say they’re pushing ahead with repairs and won’t back down.
“Violence and destruction will not be tolerated. Those responsible will be held accountable.”
