Kennedy Center Board Votes to Shut Down Facility Immediately After Judge Blocks Trump Again From Adding His Name to Building

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the Kennedy Center's board voted to shutter the performing arts venue right away, citing vague "safety reasons" for the decision. The declaration came just hours after a federal judge once more blocked the institution from adding Trump's name to the building. In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed the board supported the closure "almost unanimously" to allow reconstruction to begin.

Trump further stated that renovation efforts are on hold pending a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit regarding the board's proposed name change. He warned that if the court denies the plan and the Supreme Court upholds that denial, reconstruction will be abandoned entirely. Justice Department attorneys plan to seek a fast-tracked appeal, with CNN reporting the filing is anticipated Friday. Named after President John F. Kennedy and inaugurated in 1971, the Kennedy Center has served as a premier venue for the performing arts in Washington for decades. Its origins trace back to a 1958 congressional act that created it as a living tribute to Kennedy, and its board has historically featured government appointees—a setup that renders disputes over its identity especially contentious.

At Tuesday's board meeting, Trump called in and reportedly "screamed" at Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), a board member who had filed suit over the renaming attempt. A source characterized the exchange to CNN as "f–king crazy." Beatty had previously secured a ruling mandating the removal of Trump's name from the building's façade. In August, the board suggested adding Trump's name in three additional spots, leading Beatty to file an emergency motion to halt those plans. Beatty, who has represented Ohio's 3rd Congressional District since 2013 and formerly chaired the Congressional Black Caucus, has often drawn Trump's ire; this confrontation highlights how the Kennedy Center's board has turned into a flashpoint for wider political battles over federal cultural institutions. Such disputes echo historical tensions, like when political pressures influenced appointments at the National Endowment for the Arts during the 1980s culture wars, according to experts.

Judge Christopher Cooper of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia approved Beatty's request Tuesday, determining that the board—composed mostly of Trump supporters—cannot legally place his name elsewhere on the building or its property. "Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress's blessing," Cooper wrote. "The board resolution bucks a federal court order and a statute Congress enacted." Cooper, appointed by Obama, had mandated the removal of Trump's name in May, which the center did, obscuring the front façade with a tarp ever since. This decision underscores a consistent legal principle: only Congress, not the board independently, has authority over changes to the center's memorial features.

Trump mentioned that $17 million he raised was placed into the Kennedy Center's account to sustain its operations. Earlier on Tuesday, he described the center as being in hazardous disrepair, writing: "The Board of the Kennedy Center has strongly voted to save it, and they know I'm the only one who can do so, because I have the ability to raise the money, and the ability to construct — that few others have. I also have the strength and power of the Presidency, which will be needed do what must be done, and give it a strong shot at Greatness again!" Variety has reached out to Kennedy Center officials for feedback. The assertion of dangerous disrepair will probably encounter skepticism, especially since the center has seen substantial upgrades in recent years, such as a major expansion finished in 2019.