Kennedy Center Board Votes to Put Trump’s Name Back on Building
The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has voted to place President Donald Trump’s name back on the Washington cultural institution, setting up another potential legal clash only weeks after workers removed his name under a federal court order.
The board voted on Thursday, August 13, to change the building’s facade so that it would read: “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump,” according to Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty, an ex officio member of the board. The physical site would also be renamed President Donald J. Trump Plaza.
A second source familiar with the meeting confirmed the decision to Reuters. The Kennedy Center had not issued a substantive public response when Reuters published its report.
The decision comes after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in May that the Kennedy Center could not be formally renamed without an act of Congress. Trump’s name, which had previously been added to the building, was removed in June following that ruling. A federal appeals court later declined to allow the name to remain while the administration continued its legal challenge.
The latest resolution appears to take a different approach. Instead of formally replacing the Kennedy Center’s existing name, the proposed inscription would credit Trump with its restoration and renovation.
Whether that distinction is sufficient to comply with the earlier court ruling has not yet been determined.
The board also voted to proceed with a two-year closure of the main Kennedy Center building for renovations, according to Reuters and the Associated Press. Some outdoor programming could continue at the Reach, a newer section of the complex.
Cooper previously blocked an earlier closure plan after finding that the board’s initial decision appeared insufficiently considered. His ruling nevertheless acknowledged that the board has broad authority over operational decisions if it follows a valid process.
Kennedy Center officials have argued that the building requires extensive repairs, including work related to water damage and ageing mechanical systems. AP reported that management presented trustees with several options ranging from full closure to phased renovation while maintaining some programming.
The White House defended the board’s direction. Assistant press secretary Liz Huston said the administration believes Trump’s leadership is helping restore the Kennedy Center as a major cultural institution. That is the administration’s position rather than a finding by the court.
The dispute leaves one of the United States’ most prominent performing arts institutions at the centre of an unusual battle involving cultural governance, presidential branding and the legal limits surrounding a federally designated memorial.
