August 13, 2026 · Executive Power & Institutional Control
· Official action
Well supported
Kennedy Center Board Puts Trump's Name Back on the Building and Votes to Close It Until 2028
The Kennedy Center's board voted on Aug. 13 to close the complex's main building for a roughly two-year, $250 million renovation and to restore President Trump's name to the entrance, renaming it "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump." The Reach, a 2019 addition, would stay open for limited programming. The vote was taken by Zoom and was not public. Trump chairs the board, and most current members are his appointees. The decisions are subject to approval by the federal judge overseeing the litigation.
Judge Christopher Cooper blocked an earlier closure vote in May, writing that no board member had sufficient information to make a well-considered decision, and Trump's name came off the facade in June under a court order. Voting to restore it tests both that ruling and an appeals court decision that declined to stop the removal.
Representative Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio trustee who sued over the renaming, called the vote a transparent effort to circumvent the court. The center did not immediately respond to NPR.
Judge Christopher Cooper blocked an earlier closure vote in May, writing that no board member had sufficient information to make a well-considered decision, and Trump's name came off the facade in June under a court order. Voting to restore it tests both that ruling and an appeals court decision that declined to stop the removal.
Representative Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio trustee who sued over the renaming, called the vote a transparent effort to circumvent the court. The center did not immediately respond to NPR.
Legal outcome: A federal judge ruled in June that the earlier renaming exceeded the board's statutory authority; the new vote is subject to that court's approval