Kennedy Center Board Votes Again to Close for Trump's Renovations — Federal Judge Must Now Approve

Kennedy Center Board Votes Again to Close for Trump's Renovations — Federal Judge Must Now Approve

The battle over the Kennedy Center's future escalated Thursday as President Donald Trump's allies on the board voted to close the iconic performing arts institution for two years of renovations and to once again add the president's name to the building's facade — a decision that now awaits approval from a federal judge who previously blocked the board's original plan. The board, largely composed of Trump's hand-picked appointees, made the moves during an hours-long virtual meeting, according to multiple sources familiar with the deliberations.

The Kennedy Center board voted to close the main building for roughly two years while keeping a newer addition, known as the Reach, open for limited programming and to operate as an active memorial to John F. Kennedy. The main campus is projected to reopen in summer 2028. Plans for the $250 million project include structural repairs, new marble flooring, and nearly $12 million in acoustical improvements.

Additionally, the board voted to add an inscription below the institution's signage that reads: "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump." An outdoor space would be renamed "The President Donald J. Trump Plaza."

The Board's Vote: What They Approved

According to reports from The New York Times, which first broke the story, the Kennedy Center board approved the closure and name inscription during a virtual meeting on Thursday. The board, which is chaired by Trump and largely made up of his appointees, had been under pressure to demonstrate that it had thoroughly considered its options after a federal judge criticized its earlier vote as "ill-informed and seemingly preordained."

The decision to move ahead with the two-year closure, in addition to the moves to memorialize Trump, could revive questions about whether the board seriously considered the full range of options. Ahead of the meeting, the Kennedy Center's management had said it would present the board with three approaches for consideration:

• Complete closure: Shutting the entire building for two years of renovations.
• Partial closure: Allowing "some continued public access and limited programming in spaces unaffected" by the work.
• Phased closures: A "highly limited series of phased closures to address only the Center's most serious infrastructure needs while scheduling and maintaining a full slate of programming."

Ultimately, the board chose the partial closure option — closing the main building while keeping the Reach open.

For more on Trump's broader efforts to reshape Washington's landscape, read our analysis of how Trump is remaking the nation's capital.

The Federal Judge Who Previously Blocked the Plan

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, a nominee of President Barack Obama, has been at the center of the legal battle over the Kennedy Center. In May 2026, Cooper ruled that the board's March 16 vote to close the facility was "ill-informed and seemingly preordained" and blocked the administration from proceeding with the two-year closure.

Cooper also ruled that the board "overstepped its statutory bounds" by unilaterally adding Trump's name to the center. He ordered the removal of Trump's name, writing: "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."

Trump's name was removed from the building in June, but the area where it once stood is now covered by a massive tarp that obscures much of the original Kennedy Center signage. Cooper has asked the Kennedy Center for updates on how long the tarp is expected to stay in place.

The board's latest votes are now subject to Cooper's approval. The center has until next week to present its plan to the judge, who will review whether the board carried out sufficiently thorough due diligence ahead of the vote.

For more on the legal arguments in this case, read our coverage of the Kennedy Center legal battle explained.

The Legal Battle: What the Judge Said

In his May ruling, Cooper delivered a sharp rebuke to the board's handling of the closure decision. "The trustees might have assessed the propriety of closure in a number of prudent ways. This was not one," he wrote.

Cooper found that the board had essentially rubber-stamped a hastily made plan without properly weighing the impacts on the center's programming and finances. He noted that the board had 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."

The judge also ruled that the board had a legal obligation to maintain the facility as a memorial to JFK. Congress created the center and designated it as a living memorial in 1964 shortly after President John F. Kennedy's death.

Beatty's lawyers have argued that the board's latest vote is "more of the same" and "a show of blatant disrespect to the courts." Norm Eisen, a lawyer representing Beatty, said: "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."

White House assistant press secretary Liz Huston responded to the board's vote, saying: "Under President Trump's bold leadership, the Kennedy Center is on its way to becoming the finest cultural institution anywhere in the world."

Reaction: 'A Transparent Effort to Circumvent the Court'

Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, who successfully sued to remove Trump's name from the center's signage earlier this year, strongly criticized the board's latest moves. "This morning's decision to close the Center and the surprise agenda item to put Donald Trump's name back on the building was more of the same," Beatty said in a statement.

"This latest development is a transparent effort to circumvent the Court's ruling, and flies in the face of the statutes that Congress passed. I will continue to fight for this treasured national monument."

Beatty's lawsuit earlier this year successfully challenged both the closure and the name addition. The judge ruled in favor of Beatty's request, though he rejected a separate challenge from a group of cultural and historic preservation organizations.

Drama at the Kennedy Center has been a recurring theme during Trump's second term. In December 2025, Trump's name was added to the facade after the president installed a handpicked board that named him chairman. The move prompted numerous prominent artists to cancel appearances, the Washington National Opera to leave, and ticket sales to fall sharply.

In a separate legal setback, a D.C. Superior Court judge ordered the Kennedy Center to pay jazz musician Chuck Redd more than $252,000 in legal fees after the center sued him for canceling a longtime Christmas Eve performance following the Trump name change. The center plans to appeal.

Why the Center Needs Renovations

Kennedy Center leadership has argued that the institution is in genuine need of repair and updating. Matt Floca, the Kennedy Center's executive director and chief operating officer, guided journalists through the building in April, highlighting severe water damage that he said corroded steel in some places as thin as tissue paper.

Some pieces of equipment, including several 800-ton chillers that help cool the building, are decades old and in need of replacement. Floca said he considered doing the repairs individually but insisted it was his recommendation to Trump to close the building and move forward with the renovation all at once.

"When the president asked: 'How do you make these projects the best? How do you make them really excellent and deliver them efficiently?' my recommendation was you close the building and you do everything over a definite period of time, two years," Floca said.

Congress appropriated $257 million in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for Kennedy Center repairs and renovations. The board's plans include structural repairs, new marble flooring, and acoustical improvements.

Trump himself has derided the Kennedy Center as "rusted, rotted, and rat and bug infested" and had previously threatened to hand the building over to Congress after Cooper rejected the closure and the addition of the president's name to the building.

For more on the infrastructure issues at the Kennedy Center, read our report on the Kennedy Center's urgent repair needs.

Timeline of the Kennedy Center Controversy

Frequently Asked Questions

What did the Kennedy Center board vote to do?

The board voted to close the Kennedy Center's main building for two years of renovations while keeping the Reach open for limited programming. They also voted to add an inscription reading "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump" below the building's signage and rename an outdoor space "The President Donald J. Trump Plaza."

Why is a federal judge involved in this decision?

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper previously ruled that the board's March closure vote was "ill-informed and seemingly preordained" and that adding Trump's name violated federal law. The board's new decision is subject to his approval, and the center has until next week to present its plan to him.

Who is challenging the Kennedy Center board's actions?

Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex-officio board member, successfully sued to block the earlier closure and name addition. She has called the new vote "a transparent effort to circumvent the Court's ruling."

What renovations does the Kennedy Center need?

The center needs repairs for severe water damage, corroded steel, and aging mechanical equipment, including decades-old 800-ton chillers. The $250 million project also includes new marble flooring and acoustical improvements.

How much funding has been allocated for the renovations?

Congress appropriated $257 million in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for Kennedy Center repairs and renovations.