US President Donald Trump has announced he is closing the Kennedy Center for two years for a thorough renovation, as the storied Washington arts complex struggles with declining ticket sales and a backlash from performers.

The closure, he said, would begin on July 4 – the country's 250th anniversary.

Since returning to office, Trump has launched a forceful takeover of the once non-partisan centre, branding some of its programming too "woke" and adding his own name to the facade.

"I have determined that the fastest way to bring The Trump Kennedy Center to the highest level of Success, Beauty, and Grandeur, is to cease Entertainment Operations for an approximately two year period of time," Trump, the centre's chairman, posted on his Truth Social platform.

Trump said the facility's various entertainment events – concerts, operas, musicals, ballet performances, and interactive arts – would impede and slow the construction and renovation operations and that a full temporary closure would be necessary.

"The Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding, can be, without question, the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World," he said.

The extent of the "complete rebuilding" mentioned by Trump is unclear, but he has long declared that the structure – built as a living memorial to slain US president John F Kennedy and opened in 1971 – is dilapidated and needs a facelift.

Author and activist Maria Shriver, a member of the Kennedy family, offered a pointed post on X, saying the facility is suffering because "no one wants to perform there any longer" and that "everybody's cancelling".

Since the makeover of the board, including the installment of Trump as chairman, several prominent artists and shows have cancelled their appearances at the centre, including the musical "Hamilton," operatic soprano Renee Fleming and renowned composer Philip Glass.

The Washington National Opera has also recently announced it would leave the Kennedy Center, its home since the centre's opening more than 50 years ago.

Some have directly cited Trump's name being added to the institution and its facade. (AFP)