Kennedy Center board votes to close for renovations after judge blocks Trump's name from facade

The Kennedy Center board voted on Tuesday (Sep 15) to close the iconic performing arts venue for up to two years for a $257 million renovation project. This decision was made after a federal judge blocked the center from adding President Donald Trump's name to its facade, a second time in five months. The board, chaired by Trump and filled with his allies, made the decision less than two hours after the judge's ruling.

President Trump threatened to block the renovation work unless federal courts allow his name to be added. The renovation work is unlikely to start until an appeals court reviews the judge's order. If that does not happen, the reconstruction and renovation of the Kennedy Center will not take place. Artists have protested Trump's takeover of the center, leading to the cancellation of performances and the opera and symphony finding new venues.

The center's finances are now so unstable that it may struggle to pay its employees or maintenance contracts. Trump's plans for the center are part of his broader effort to leave a cultural and aesthetic mark on Washington, D.C., including a new ballroom, a troubled renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and a planned triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery.