Kennedy Center board approves Trump name on facade and two-year closure
Critics argue the move circumvents a May order that stripped the president’s name from the building, setting the stage for renewed legal conflict over the landmark’s statutory identity.
The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted on Thursday to install President Donald Trump’s name on the building’s facade and initiate a two-year closure for major renovations. The decision marks a significant escalation in the institutional dispute surrounding the Washington D.C. landmark, coming shortly after a federal judge ordered the removal of the president’s name from the structure.
According to US Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio board member, the board voted to alter the front of the building’s facade to read 'The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump'. Additionally, the board voted to rename the physical site 'the President Donald J. Trump Plaza' and install an inscription crediting the president for the restoration work.
The move follows a May ruling by Judge Christopher Cooper, who determined that the Kennedy Center’s organic statute mandates the institution be named for President Kennedy. Judge Cooper ruled that the centre cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the board’s unilateral authority, stating that only Congress can change the institution's name or authorise major alterations.
Beatty described the board’s latest vote as a transparent effort to circumvent the court’s ruling. In a statement, she noted that the decision flies in the face of the statutes passed by Congress and affirmed her intention to continue fighting for the national monument. The wording of the new inscription appears designed to avoid a specific provision in federal law which prohibits additional memorials or plaques in the nature of memorials in public areas.
The dispute is part of a broader pattern of challenges to the president’s efforts to reshape prominent Washington landmarks. Trump installed a mostly handpicked board that named him chairman after winning the 2024 election, and his name was previously added to the facade in December. Other projects, including a planned White House ballroom and renovations to the Reflecting Pool, have also encountered legal and logistical obstacles.
The renovation closure is scheduled to begin in July and last for two years. The board’s decision to proceed with the project and rename the plaza suggests a continued push to assert control over the institution’s physical and symbolic identity, despite the ongoing legal constraints.
