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Kennedy Center Board Challenges Court Order With Restoring Trump’s Name/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ The Kennedy Center board voted to restore President Donald Trump’s name to the building and close most of the venue for two years. The decisions could conflict with a federal judge’s rulings against the earlier naming and closure plans. Democratic board members accused Trump’s allies of circumventing the court and approving a predetermined outcome.

Quick Look

• The Kennedy Center board held an hourslong virtual meeting Thursday.
• Members voted to add Trump’s name to the building’s facade.
• The proposed inscription credits Trump with restoring and renovating the center.
• The plaza outside the venue would also be named for Trump.
• Most of the Kennedy Center would close for two years for renovations.
• Some outdoor programming could continue at the Reach.
• A federal judge previously ruled that Trump’s name had been added illegally.
• The same judge blocked an earlier two-year closure as “ill-informed and seemingly preordained.”
• Democratic board members called the latest meeting an attempt to circumvent the court.
• Kennedy Center management says major repairs are necessary for safety.

Deep Look

Board approves Trump naming and two-year closure

WASHINGTON — The dispute over the Kennedy Center’s future intensified Thursday when President Donald Trump’s allies on its board approved physical changes commemorating him and voted to close most of the performing arts institution for two years.

The decisions could directly challenge an existing federal court order concerning Trump’s name and the planned closure.

During an hourslong virtual meeting, the board voted to place Trump’s name on the building’s facade. Under the proposal, the venue would be identified as:

The board also voted to name the plaza in front of the building after Trump and close most of the center for two years so extensive renovations can proceed.

Decisions test federal judge’s rulings

Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who serves as an ex-officio board member, and her attorneys described the decisions as a significant challenge to U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper.

Cooper ruled in May that letters spelling out Trump’s name had been attached to the Kennedy Center illegally and ordered them removed. The Republican administration unsuccessfully sought to overturn that decision.

The judge also blocked a two-year closure scheduled to begin July 5. He concluded that the board’s earlier vote authorizing the shutdown was “ill-informed and seemingly preordained.”

A Kennedy Center representative did not respond to a request for comment.

Board was presented with three renovation options

Much of Thursday’s meeting was expected to address how extensively the Kennedy Center must close to complete renovations that its management says are necessary for public safety.

Responding to Cooper’s criticism of the previous board vote, Kennedy Center leaders said they would present three alternatives for consideration.

One option called for completely closing the venue. A second proposed a partial shutdown that would permit “some continued public access and limited programming in spaces unaffected” by construction.

Board members ultimately approved a two-year closure of the building. However, the plan leaves open the possibility that some performances and other activities could continue at the Reach, an outdoor area associated with the Kennedy Center.

Democrats question whether alternatives were seriously considered

The decision to proceed with the two-year shutdown, alongside the votes to memorialize Trump, could renew legal questions about whether the board genuinely considered all available options.

Democratic board members emphasized that concern after the meeting.

Kennedy Center becomes symbol of Trump’s presidential power

The Kennedy Center has emerged during Trump’s second term as a prominent symbol of his approach to presidential authority.

Trump paid relatively little attention to the institution during his first term. After returning to office in January 2025, however, he quickly removed its leadership and installed a board of trustees composed largely of his allies. That board subsequently selected Trump as its chairman.

His name was soon placed on the building. It was removed in June after Cooper’s court order, and a large tarp now covers the section of the facade where the name previously appeared.

Trump seeks to transform Washington landmarks

The Kennedy Center dispute is part of Trump’s wider effort to reshape prominent buildings and public spaces in the nation’s capital.

Trump ordered the White House’s East Wing demolished and began constructing a controversial ballroom in its place. An appeals court ruled last week that construction should stop because Congress had not authorized the project. Trump has said he will take that legal dispute to the Supreme Court.

His renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has also faced setbacks. Algae returned after the work, and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro contradicted Trump’s assertion that vandalism was responsible for damage at the site.

The president is separately planning extensive renovations to a golf course at East Potomac Park. The work could substantially restrict public access to nearby running and biking paths.

Trump is also advancing plans for a triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery.

Trump and management say Kennedy Center needs repairs

Trump has described the Kennedy Center as “rusted, rotted, and rat and bug infested.” He also threatened to turn the building over to Congress after Cooper rejected both its closure and the placement of Trump’s name on its facade.

Kennedy Center leaders maintain that the institution genuinely requires significant repairs and modernization.

Matt Floca, the center’s executive director and chief operating officer, led journalists on a tour of the building in April. He pointed to extensive water damage that he said had corroded steel in some locations until it was as thin as tissue paper.

Floca also said some of the center’s equipment is decades old and needs to be replaced. That includes several 800-ton chillers used to cool the building.

Executive recommended completing renovations at once

Floca said he had considered completing the repairs separately but ultimately recommended that Trump close the entire building and undertake the renovation work at one time.

The board’s latest decision follows that approach, although the possibility of some outdoor programming at the Reach remains.

Legal battles become part of Kennedy Center programming

The disputes surrounding the Kennedy Center recently became the subject of jokes and political barbs during the institution’s own programming.

Comedian Bill Maher accepted the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in late June amid the continuing legal battles.

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