Someone dumped a mystery substance onto the “Trump”-Kennedy Center’s outdoor ice rink overnight—shuttering the arena and forcing the cancellation of a scheduled performance in what officials are calling a “calculated, malicious attack.”
A brown-black liquid was poured across the ice early Friday morning, damaging the surface and derailing a performance by Montreal-based skating company Le Patin Libre, according to Fox News.
Images from the scene show the dark material smeared widely across the rink, with what appears to be a gallon-sized milk container sitting abandoned on the ice—less high-stakes heist, more clumsy clean-up aisle five.
“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,” Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations for the center, told Fox News.
She said the center is “working feverishly” to complete repairs so programming can resume as soon as possible.
Daravi described the substance as “toxic,” though the exact chemical has not been publicly identified.
She said surveillance footage has been turned over to authorities investigating what she called a “calculated, malicious attack,” and vowed to “hold those responsible accountable.”
The incident lands at a pivotal moment for the performing arts complex.
In December 2025, the board of trustees voted unanimously to rename the venue “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” Trump had previously appointed himself chairman of the board.
The center, which opened in 1971, has faced years of financial strain and mounting infrastructure problems.
Officials say roughly $250 million in repairs have piled up over time.
Congress recently appropriated $257 million for renovations in Trump’s so-called “One, Big, Beautiful Bill,” which states that funding the arts venue is critical to modernizing the facility, which will temporarily close for renovations beginning July 4.
The overhaul follows the high-profile renaming, which drew backlash in arts and political circles and intensified scrutiny over the institution’s direction.
While Kennedy Center officials maintain the renovation has long been in the works, critics have questioned the timing.
For now, crews are focused on restoring the damaged rink and getting performers back on the ice. But the sight of a national cultural landmark streaked with an unidentified “toxic” substance—at a venue newly bearing Trump’s name—ensures this icy episode won’t melt away quietly.
The White House and Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
