The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted on Tuesday to close the venue's main building, according to people familiar with the matter, citing financial difficulties and a dispute over President Donald Trump's name. The decision came hours after a federal judge blocked the board's latest attempt to add Trump's name to the building's facade.
US District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the board cannot install memorials for Trump or anyone else at the Kennedy Center without congressional approval. "Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress's blessing," Cooper wrote in his ruling, which also barred the board from renaming the surrounding grounds "President Donald J. Trump Plaza."
The vote to close came after the board, which Trump chairs and which is largely composed of his appointees, received a 57-page report distributed ahead of a special meeting. The report, first reported by The Washington Post, warned that the center faces "certain fiscal collapse" and could be unable to pay staff or routine maintenance contracts "within a matter of weeks" without Trump's name on the building.
Center officials also cited structural safety concerns, including a partial ceiling collapse in the Grand Foyer during a September storm. A construction consultant and the center's director reportedly consider the main building "unsafe for continued occupancy."
Judge's ruling and legal background
Cooper's ruling on Tuesday reinforced an earlier decision from May, in which he ordered the removal of Trump's name from the building after the board had added it in December. In that earlier ruling, Cooper found that only Congress can approve changes to the Kennedy Center's name, which was established as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy.
In August, the board had voted to inscribe "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump" below the center's existing name, and to add a similar inscription reading "Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund" if a $100 million fundraising goal was met. Cooper's Tuesday order blocked these proposals, stating that the board's resolution "bucks a federal court order and a statute Congress enacted."
Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio and an ex-officio member of the board who has led the legal challenge against the name changes, called the board's actions unlawful. In a statement, Beatty said, "The law is extremely clear: The John F. Kennedy Center is named for President Kennedy — and no one else. But President Trump is holding the Kennedy Center hostage unless he can put his name on this sacred memorial."
Her lawyers, Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky, said in comments to The Washington Post: "This constant effort to add Donald Trump's name to the Kennedy Center facade is the definition of insanity... This is now the third attempt to deface this sacred memorial and turn it into a vanity project for one man's ego."
Trump's response and threat to cancel renovations
Trump responded to the board's vote in a series of posts on Truth Social. He wrote that the board "agreed, almost unanimously, to close the Building for Safety reasons," and said the closing would take place immediately. However, he added that the renovations, which Congress has allocated $257 million to cover, "cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board's approved name."
"If the ruling is a negative one, which it should not be, and is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place," Trump wrote. He also said he had raised $17 million for the center "to keep it afloat."
Trump participated in the virtual board meeting on Tuesday, where he reportedly clashed with Rep. Beatty. According to a participant who spoke on condition of anonymity, Beatty referred to Trump as someone who caused "extreme harm," to which Trump responded that Beatty was "incompetent" and "holding up everything."
Perspectives on the closure
The Kennedy Center's spokesperson, Roma Daravi, said in a statement that the board's decision "reflects sound judgment and a clear prioritization of safety above all else." Another spokesperson, speaking anonymously, told AFP that adding Trump's name to the building "attracted new donors and was crucial to raising additional funds for the Centre's renovation."
Critics, including Rep. Beatty and her allies, have accused the board of exaggerating the building's physical problems to justify a closure that could conceal financial mismanagement under Trump's leadership. They point to a consulting group that reportedly disclaimed providing an opinion that the building was unsafe, a finding cited in board resolutions.
Georgetown University law professor David Super questioned whether the center could legally declare bankruptcy, noting that the Kennedy Center is not a corporation. He suggested the center could face creditor lawsuits if it stops operating.
The closure is not yet final: Judge Cooper had previously issued an injunction requiring the center to remain open while litigation continues, and the board must ask the court to lift that block. The board is expected to make that request by Friday, according to CNN.
Historical context
The Kennedy Center opened in 1971 as a living memorial to President Kennedy and has hosted the Washington National Opera, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the annual Kennedy Center Honors. Since Trump installed himself as chairman in 2025, ticket sales have plummeted and numerous artists have canceled performances in protest.
The board has voted to close the center for renovations on three occasions since February, but each attempt has been blocked by the courts. The center was initially scheduled to close on July 5.