Kennedy Center Board Restoring Trump’s Name to Building in Move Sure to Frustrate Judge Who Ordered It Removed
The Kennedy Center board recently decided to restore and renovate the institution, with plans to close it for most of the next two years. In a controversial move, the board voted to add President Donald Trump’s name to the building’s facade, despite a recent court ruling by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, which ordered the removal of Trump’s name from the center. the board also approved naming the plaza in front of the center as “president Donald J. Trump Plaza” to honor him for allegedly saving the center from disaster. These decisions have faced criticism from Democratic representatives and legal experts, citing violations of federal laws that prohibit additional memorials in public areas. The board justified their actions by stating that Trump’s contributions warranted such recognition and aimed to boost the center’s popularity as a tourist attraction. Some officials, including a White house representative, have praised Trump’s leadership and the center’s progress during his presidency. The controversy continues as legal and political debates unfold over the legitimacy of the board’s actions and the appropriateness of honoring Trump in this manner.
The Kennedy Center board acted Thursday to deny a federal judge the last word in the controversy over affixing President Donald Trump’s name to the institution.
In May, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered that Trump’s name be removed from the building, according to the Associated Press. The president’s name had been added in January 2025 — not long after Trump took office and installed a new board of directors.
On Thursday, the board voted to put Trump’s name on the building’s facade so it would read “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.”
The New York Times reported that Trump’s name would be inscribed on the building below the main sign.
Board members on Thursday also voted to name the plaza in front of the Kennedy Center for Trump, the Associated Press reported.
The board also voted to close the center for most of the next two years for renovations.
Cooper had earlier blocked the closure, saying a board meeting in which the action was approved was “ill-informed and seemingly preordained.”
🚨 NOW: The Trump-Kennedy Center Board has just voted to GREENLIGHT Donald Trump’s renovations, and to place his name on the performing arts center — despite an activist judge trying to block it
Good! Trump is fully restoring it, the man deserves it 🔥
The sign would read: “The… pic.twitter.com/Uizq6wf5yC
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 13, 2026
Thursday’s actions were made public by Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio — an ex-officio board member — so that she could criticize them.
“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. “I will continue to fight for this treasured national monument.”
The New York Times noted that the federal law under which the center operates says “no additional memorials or plaques in the nature of memorials shall be designated or installed in the public areas.”
On Thursday, the board called for Trump to be honored for rescuing the center “from the brink of disaster,” and proposed naming the plaza where the center stands the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”
“It is hereby resolved that the center desires to recognize and honor President Trump’s existential and unprecedented contributions to the survival of the center by all legal means,” the resolution said.
Board member Paolo Zampolli said the board acted to make the center more popular as a sightseeing destination, and the plan for Trump’s name is to make it “as big as it can get.”
JUST IN: The Trump-Kennedy Center Board Voted to APPROVE of Trump’s Renovations and to Add Trump’s Name Back Onto the Building.
How long before another Democrat Judge files a motion to stop this? pic.twitter.com/humkxjk3q3
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 13, 2026
Matt Floca, the center’s executive director, has said a full closure is the most efficient way to complete renovations.
White House representative Liz Huston said in a statement: “Under President Trump’s bold leadership, the Kennedy Center is on its way to becoming the finest cultural institution anywhere in the world,” according to the BBC.
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