Kennedy Center board votes to return Trump's name to building, continue with 2-year closure

The battle over the Kennedy Center's future escalated Thursday as U.S. President Donald Trump's allies on the board took new steps to commemorate him with physical changes to the iconic performing arts institution that could defy a federal court order.

During an hours-long meeting that was conducted virtually, the board voted to add Trump's name to the building's façade so it would read "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump."

The plaza in front of the building would be named after Trump and most of the space at the venue would be closed for two years to allow for substantial renovations.

The changes, described by Representative Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who is an ex-officio board member, and her lawyers, amount to a dramatic test of U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper.

Cooper ruled in May that letters affixed to the building that spelled out Trump's name were added illegally, and he ordered their removal, a decision that the Republican administration failed to persuade courts to overturn. At the same time, Cooper blocked a two-year closure that was set to take effect July 5, saying an earlier board vote authorizing the shuttering was "ill-informed and seemingly preordained."

"This latest development is a transparent effort to circumvent the Court's ruling, and flies in the face of the statutes that Congress passed," Beatty said in a statement. "I will continue to fight for this treasured national monument."

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

Much of Thursday's board meeting was expected to focus on the extent of closures required to allow for renovations that the Kennedy Center's management says are needed to improve safety. In response to the judge's criticism of the earlier vote, the institution's leaders said they would provide the board with three options to consider.

Trump announces plans to close Kennedy Center for renovations starting July

They included a complete closure or a partial closure that would allow "some continued public access and limited programming in spaces unaffected" by the work. A third option would "consider a highly limited series of phased closures to address only the Center's most serious infrastructure needs while scheduling and maintaining a full slate of programming."

Ultimately, the board decided to close the building for two years while leaving the potential for some degree of programming to still happen in an outdoor space known as the Reach.

The decision to move ahead with the two-year closure, in addition to the moves to memorialize Trump, could revive questions about whether the board seriously considered the full range of options.

During Trump's second term, the Kennedy Center has become an unlikely — and highly visible — metaphor of presidential power.

While he largely ignored the institution during his first round in Washington, Trump moved quickly to oust the institution's leadership when he returned to office in January 2025 and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman.