Trump-aligned Kennedy Center board votes to close building
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A demonstrator holds a sign outside the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 3. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Kennedy Center's board voted Tuesday to close the iconic performing arts center's main building for a renovation project championed by President Trump, multiple outlets reported and a source familiar confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: Trump's attempts to put his name on the building, which memorializes former President John F. Kennedy, have fueled an ongoing legal and political battle.
- The decision came hours after a federal judge again said the center could not put Trump's name on the building.
Driving the news: Trump said in a Truth Social post that the renovation "cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board's approved name."
- He said that if the ruling is not in his allies' favor or is not overturned by the Supreme Court, "the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place."
Catch up quick: A resolution from the board, filed in the ongoing legal fight with Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) over the Center, cited "water intrusion and deterioration of the center's physical plant" that it said "caused a partial ceiling collapse," arguing the safety risk "greatly outweighs any reputational risk associated with closing the main building."
- A second resolution filed in the case listed ways Trump could be "legally and appropriately recognized" on the building, after a federal judge ruled that only Congress can change its name.
Zoom out: The resolution states that without his name on the building, it's "unlikely" Trump "will provide the fundamental oversight of the renovation of the main building."
- It listed options for text on the exterior marble beneath the center's name, including "A Legacy protected through the Generosity of President Donald J. Trump" or "Renovation, Restoration, and support by President Donald J. Trump."
Friction point: U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper blocked the center from closing earlier this year, finding that "the Board was derelict in discharging the full range of its responsibilities to the Center" and "based its decision on an insufficient, one-sided presentation of information."
- But in that order, he said his injunction would not prevent "capital repair work," nor would it "categorically prohibit the Board from closing the Center should it come to this decision anew after independently balancing its multiple obligations to the Center in a prudent fashion."
Catch up quick: The renovation project would address issues like corrosion and rehabilitating the building's iconic theaters and Grand Foyer, Axios previously reported.
- The draft resolution proposes sending marquee events offsite, while continuing some programming at the REACH — an indoor–outdoor space.
- Beyond infrastructure renovations, Trump ally and board member Paolo Zampolli outlined his luxury vision for the space to Axios' Cuneyt Dil, including expanding the outdoor park to create a "concert hub," and building a marina.
What we're watching: For now, those ideas aren't part of the board's resolution — but the center's future under Trump remains in flux, in part because of an ongoing legal challenge to the president's takeover.
- And while Trump allies position him as the center's financial savior, the Washington Post reported that ticket sales plunged after the board of trustees voted to name the center after him.
Go deeper: Kennedy Center's survival depends on Trump, DOJ says in new filing
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information.
