The Kennedy Center board voted to restore Donald Trump’s name on the building and announced plans to close the facility for two years. The board, which is largely made up of members selected by Trump, approved a resolution adding the phrase ‘Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump’ to the building’s official name. The same resolution also directs the center to honor Trump for allegedly saving it from financial collapse, according to The New York Times. This action comes after a federal judge ordered the removal of Trump’s name from the building in May. The center had complied with the judge’s order by June 13, removing Trump’s name from the facade after a court deadline passed. A large tarp was left in place to hide the sign during this time, preventing public visibility of the building without Trump’s name.
Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio and her legal team criticized the board’s move as an attempt to bypass a court ruling, according to CBS News. Beatty said the vote was disrespectful to the courts and contradicted federal statutes that protect the center’s original purpose. The board also voted to shut down the Kennedy Center for two years due to needed renovations, a plan Trump had previously supported. The decision was made during a closed Zoom meeting that was not open to the public and did not include the name change on its formal agenda. Democratic board members, including Beatty, said they were not given written notice of the proposal ahead of the vote.
Trump himself spoke during the meeting and claimed he had listened to the entire two-hour session. Since returning to office last year, Trump has replaced many board members with loyal supporters and became chair of the Kennedy Center. These changes have caused backlash from performers and congressional Democrats, leading some artists to cancel their appearances. In December, the board voted to rename the center as ‘The John F. Kennedy and The Donald J. Trump Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.’ Trump’s name was placed above Kennedy’s on the building’s stone facade at that time.
The board also voted in March to shut down the center for renovations, arguing the building needed major repairs. Beatty sued over these changes, saying the board lacked authority to close the center or alter its name without congressional approval. She and her lawyers pointed out that the center’s name and mission are protected by federal law, which prohibits additional memorials or plaques.
The metallic letters spelling out Trump’s name were removed from the building overnight on June 13 after an appeals court declined to allow them to remain. Trump responded by criticizing the judge and vowing to cut his involvement with the Kennedy Center. He wrote on Truth Social that the center would collapse both structurally and financially if he stepped away.
In June, a tarp had been covering the building’s facade since a federal judge ruled Trump’s name was unlawfully added to the center, according to a report from NPR. The board voted to close the main building for two years as part of a major renovation plan, according to a person briefed on the vote. In March, the board had approved a full shutdown, but a judge later blocked it due to lack of sufficient information. The board also voted to place Trump’s name back on the building’s entrance, calling it ‘Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump’. Under this plan, the main campus would reopen in summer 2028 after $250 million in renovations including structural repairs and new marble floors. The plan includes moving the eight-foot bronze bust of Kennedy from the main foyer during construction.
The board’s decisions are still subject to approval by a federal judge. Democratic legislators who serve as ex-officio trustees said they had not been given access to assessments of the closure’s impact on the institution. The Kennedy Center is chaired by President Trump, and most board members are his allies. It is unclear if the construction firm named in the plans has experience with unamplified performances typical of the Kennedy Center’s programming.
In May, a judge temporarily blocked Trump’s plan to close the center, saying no board members had sufficient information. Beatty and her team said the latest vote was another attempt to circumvent court rulings. The Kennedy Center once hosted free public performances year-round, but now sits largely empty due to recent changes. In January, the Washington National Opera left the center, and many artists canceled appearances after Trump’s name was added in December. Ticket sales dropped significantly, and many staff members have resigned from the organization.
The National Symphony Orchestra has also been pushed into deep financial trouble, according to internal sources. A federal appeals court recently denied Trump’s request to stop removing his name from the building, saying he had not proven the center would be irreparably harmed. In a separate case, the Kennedy Center was ordered to pay jazz musician Chuck Redd more than $252,000 in legal fees after suing him.
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