Vandals poured a dark, brown-black substance onto the outdoor ice rink at Washington’s Trump-Kennedy Center early Friday, Feb. 21, 2026, severely damaging the surface and prompting officials to cancel a scheduled performance as U.S. Park Police opened an investigation.
Vandals damaged the outdoor ice rink at the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., early Friday, Feb. 21, 2026, after a dark, brown-black substance was poured across the ice, according to center officials.
The venue—commonly referred to as the Trump-Kennedy Center—said the spill left the rink unsafe and forced the cancellation of a Friday-night performance by Le Patin Libre, a Canadian artistic skating company that had been scheduled to perform over the weekend.
Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president of public relations, told Fox News that officials viewed the incident as deliberate vandalism rather than a protest and said video footage had been provided to investigators.
In a separate post on X, Daravi said the outdoor plaza had been “doused with a toxic chemical” and added that the center would not tolerate “violence or hate.” Authorities have not publicly identified the substance, announced a suspect, or disclosed a motive.
U.S. Park Police are investigating, the center said.
Richard Grenell, the center’s president, wrote on X that the vandalism followed months of tensions and harassment directed at the institution after leadership and governance changes and the board’s decision in December 2025 to adopt a new name incorporating President Donald Trump.
The Daily Wire reported that the center has said it is working to restore the rink and resume scheduled programming. The outlet also reported that Trump has announced plans for the venue to close beginning July 4, 2026, for a restoration and modernization project.
