Kennedy Center Board Votes to Add Trump's Name to Building

The governing board of Washington's John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has voted to push forward with President Donald Trump's plans to shut down its primary building for a two-year renovation project and attach his name to the venue's exterior. The move comes just months after a federal judge ordered earlier signage bearing the president's name to be taken down.

During a nearly two-hour virtual meeting, trustees approved a 20-3 vote on a proposal put forward by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Under the plan, the official designation would become "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump," while the physical location would be named "President Donald J. Trump Plaza." Donald Trump, who appointed himself as the board's chairman last year after reshaping its membership with allies, made a brief appearance on the call.

The decision allows the main complex to close while keeping a newer extension, the Reach, open for reduced activities and memorial functions. Management presented options ranging from full shutdown to phased repairs, ultimately going ahead with a $250 million overhaul involving structural fixes, fresh marble flooring, acoustic upgrades, and the temporary relocation of a 3,000-pound bronze bust of John F. Kennedy. Operating the Reach permits ongoing ticket sales for select performances, though the resident National Symphony Orchestra must search for alternative venues while its primary concert hall remains unavailable.

The vote drew opposition from congressional board members Joyce Beatty, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Rick Larsen, who all voted against the measure. Expressing her disapproval, Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty stated, "This latest development is a transparent effort to circumvent the Court’s ruling, and flies in the face of the statutes that Congress passed," adding, "I will continue to fight for this treasured national monument."

Legal representatives challenging the board's actions also criticized the decision. Attorneys Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky noted, "A federal judge already rejected the board’s unlawful attempt to rename the Kennedy Center, and told Donald Trump’s handpicked board that its last closure vote was ill-informed and preordained. Today’s vote is more of the same, and a show of blatant disrespect to the courts." 

Former Representative Joseph Kennedy III previously argued that the venue "is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says."

In defense of the administration's direction, White House spokeswoman Liz Huston declared, "Under President Trump's bold leadership, the Kennedy Center is on its way to becoming the finest cultural institution anywhere in the world."

The board's action follows a ruling in May by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who temporarily blocked an earlier closure attempt. Cooper concluded that the previous decision was "ill-informed and seemingly preordained," writing that "In ratifying President Trump’s closure announcement, the Board was derelict in discharging the full range of its responsibilities to the Center," and that "More specifically, the Board based its decision on an insufficient, one-sided presentation of information and neglected to consider the full range of its statutory obligations and potential adverse consequences of closure on programming and memorial functions."

Judge Cooper also mandated the removal of Trump's name from the building because only lawmakers hold the power to rename a federal memorial. As Cooper explained in his ruling, "The Kennedy Center’s organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board’s unilateral say-so," concluding, "May the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts be renamed absent Congressional authorization? The answer, plain from the face of the statute, is no. Nor can any other individual be memorialized on the front portico of the building. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it."

The center has until next week to submit its updated financial and renovation proposals to Judge Cooper, who will review whether the board performed sufficient due diligence before deciding whether to approve the choices.