Trump threatens to stop Kennedy Center renovation if his name isn't added back to building

The Kennedy Center board decided to shut down the performing arts center for two years, following a US judge's ruling that prevented the addition of President Donald Trump's name to the building. In May, the same judge ordered the removal of Trump's name and blocked the center's temporary closure for proposed renovations. The board, chaired by Trump and consisting of his cabinet members and allies, had approved a resolution in August to add the inscription, "Renovated and Restored by President Donald J. Trump" to the venue.

Trump announced the addition of his name to the institution and other rebranding measures across the nation's capital last year. The judge's written order was issued less than an hour before the board's vote on the closure, marking the third time in February that the center had been approved for closure due to legal challenges against Trump's attempts to gain greater control of the institution.

Trump claimed the board voted "almost unanimously" to close the venue "for safety reasons," though renovations cannot commence until the court rules on the board's approved name. He vowed to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court if it was deemed unfavorable and mentioned that the US Department of Justice would seek an expedited appeal.

He also pledged to raise $17 million for the center to maintain its operations. Congress had authorized over $250 million for renovations, but the center cannot close without the federal judge, Christopher Cooper, lifting the temporary block he imposed in May, which required the center to remain open while a lawsuit brought by board member Joyce Beatty proceeded.

Beatty, an Ohio congresswoman and Democrat, contended that the center had planned for years to undergo phased renovations while still hosting performances, rather than shutting down entirely. She blamed Trump's attempts to rename the center for the loss of audiences and artists. Trump replaced several trustees on the board in February 2025, leading to the decision in December to rename the institution.

New lettering bearing Trump's full name was affixed to the center's front portico the following day, resulting in cancellations of artists booked at the venue and a decline in ticket sales. The legal challenges to Trump's changes primarily center around the fact that Congress established the center as a memorial to President John F Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963.

According to Judge Cooper's ruling, the board's proposal to modify the center's name and surrounding campus violated a federal court order and a statute Congress had enacted, which mandated that the center bear only Kennedy's name.