The Kennedy Center board voted Thursday to place an inscription crediting President Donald Trump with the building’s restoration and renovation, even as federal court rulings have blocked both the administration’s planned two-year closure and an earlier effort to add Trump’s name to the venue.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Kennedy Center’s board of directors voted Thursday to place President Donald Trump’s name on the performing arts complex in recognition of his administration’s planned renovation of the historic Washington venue, opening another chapter in an ongoing legal and political fight over changes to the center.
Under the resolution approved by the board, an inscription beneath the building’s primary signage would state: “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump,” sources told The New York Times.
The vote comes despite federal court intervention that has already disrupted the administration’s plans for the Kennedy Center.
Earlier this year, the board approved Trump’s proposal to close the facility for two years while it underwent extensive renovation and restoration work. A federal judge blocked the planned shutdown in May.
A judge has also blocked the performing arts center from adding Trump’s name to the building, placing the latest board resolution in the middle of an unresolved legal dispute.
Ohio Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, who serves as a Kennedy Center trustee through her congressional position, criticized Thursday’s action and argued that it conflicts with the court’s earlier decision.
“This latest development is a transparent effort to circumvent the Court’s ruling, and flies in the face of the statutes that Congress passed,” Beatty said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. “I will continue to fight for this treasured national monument.”
The latest resolution is separate from an earlier board decision involving Trump’s name.
Last year, the Kennedy Center board voted to add Trump’s name to the facility, a move that triggered substantial criticism and was followed by the departure of some longtime organizations and participants associated with the center.
Among those leaving was the Washington National Opera, one of the venue’s prominent institutional fixtures.
Thursday’s action instead links Trump’s name specifically to the proposed restoration and renovation project through language crediting him for the work.
The renovation itself has also become the subject of controversy because of the administration’s effort to temporarily close the Kennedy Center while construction proceeds.
The board had endorsed a two-year shutdown as part of the renovation plan, but the federal court ruling in May prevented the administration from carrying out that closure as proposed.
The new inscription vote therefore arrives while both the physical renovation strategy and attempts to place Trump’s name on the building remain entangled in litigation.
Supporters of the board’s action have sought to recognize Trump’s role in advancing the restoration project, while opponents argue that changes involving the center’s name and operations must comply with federal law and existing court orders.
Beatty’s statement indicates that opposition from congressional trustees is likely to continue.
The Kennedy Center remains one of the nation’s most prominent performing arts institutions and serves as a national memorial to President John F. Kennedy.
The board’s decision does not by itself resolve the outstanding legal questions surrounding the inscription or the broader renovation plans.
Instead, Thursday’s vote establishes the board’s preferred wording — “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump” — while the courts continue to determine how far the administration and the center’s leadership may go in altering the building and its operations.
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