A section of ceiling collapsed in the main hallway of Washington's Kennedy Center during a rainstorm on Saturday, an incident the Trump-led board says reinforces its case for a two-year closure of the 50-year-old building. Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi blamed "decades of neglect and deferred maintenance by the previous leadership," arguing there is no justification for delaying the planned renovation. The episode adds fresh weight to an already contentious dispute over the institution's future, pitting the board against a community group opposed to the closure.

The board, chaired by Donald Trump, voted in August to shut the centre for two years as part of a $250 million (£197 million) renovation, and last month approved renaming its grounds "President Donald J. Trump Plaza." This followed a court ruling in May ordering Trump's name removed from the building, months after it had been added; litigation continues over the renaming, closure and renovation plans. Grace Terpstra of the campaign group Keep the KC suggested the board would use the collapse to strengthen its argument for a full shutdown, while the building's front has been covered by tarpaulin and scaffolding since Trump's name letters were taken down in June.