The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., voted on Tuesday to temporarily shut the landmark cultural venue, citing structural safety concerns and a financial crisis — just hours after a federal judge blocked, for the second time, any attempt to add President Donald Trump's name to the building or its grounds.
Federal Judge Christopher Cooper issued an order suspending the board's latest proposals, which had sought to either inscribe the phrase "Renovated and Restored by President Donald J. Trump" on the building's facade or rename the adjacent plaza in the president's honour. In a pointed ruling, Cooper wrote: "Simply put, defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress' blessing." The judge first intervened in May, ordering the removal of Trump's name after the center had altered its marble facade in December to read "Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts." Workers removed the inscription in June, leaving the exterior covered by scaffolding and a white tarp.
The Kennedy Center, which opened in 1971 as the United States' national memorial to the assassinated President John F. Kennedy, has been at the centre of a prolonged political and legal dispute since Trump moved to reshape the institution last year. As the board's chair, Trump has overseen sweeping changes that prompted artists to cancel performances in protest; the Washington National Opera and the National Symphony Orchestra were forced to seek alternative venues. Ticket sales have plummeted, and board members have warned the centre is on the brink of bankruptcy. The board argued in a draft resolution that without formal recognition for Trump's role, "it is unlikely that President Trump will exercise essential oversight of the renovation of the main building and lead the financial rescue of the Center." On Truth Social, Trump himself warned that if the renaming dispute is not resolved in his favour, the renovation "will not take place."
The board cited a ceiling collapse in the main foyer in early September as evidence that the building poses an immediate hazard to visitors and staff, and voted for a closure that could last until 2028. Critics, including Democratic Congresswoman Joyce Beatty — who holds a seat on the board by virtue of her congressional appointment and brought the original lawsuit — have argued that the center could remain partially open during renovations, as it has done in the past. Her office said Trump verbally berated her during Tuesday's contentious board meeting.
The closure does not take effect immediately. Judge Cooper must approve any shutdown plan, and a source familiar with the litigation indicated he is unlikely to permit it before a discovery process — in which the center would be required to disclose internal deliberations and planning documents — moves forward. The dispute over the Kennedy Center is part of a broader effort by Trump to leave his mark on Washington's institutions, which has also included plans to renovate the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and construct a triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery.