Why Is the Kennedy Center Board Trying To Add Trump's Name to the Building—Again?

Culture Must they keep chipping away at their dignity? Billy Binion | 8.16.2026 7:00 AM (Photo: CNP/MediaPunch/ MEGA/YBDAN/Newscom/Stevendalewhite/Richard Gunion/Dreamstime. Illustration: Fatima Ruiz) The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts approved a plan on Thursday to enshrine President Donal

The Kennedy Center board, now made up mostly of President Trump's allies, voted Thursday to put the president's name back on the building. Rep. Joyce Beatty, who has challenged Mr. Trump's changes to the Kennedy Center and was on the phone call where the renaming decision was made, joined "The Takeout" to discuss.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s handpicked board of the Kennedy Center has voted a second time to close the performing arts institution for a two-year renovation, according to two people who were briefed on the decision.

The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted to name the institution's grounds "President Donald J. Trump Plaza" as a sweeping renovation begins.

The Kennedy Center’s board of trustees on Thursday voted to put President Donald Trump’s name on the institution’s facade in Washington, D.C., testing the limits of a judge’s order on the matter.  The board voted to add the inscription “Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump” below the Kennedy Center sign,

The board of the Kennedy Center in Washington DC has voted to add President Donald Trump's name to the facade of the performance arts venue two months after a judge ordered its removal.

Vote to add ‘Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump’ sets up potential clash with federal judge who had ordered the name removed

The Kennedy Center board voted on Thursday to close for two years for renovations and to again add President Trump’s name to the facade, Rep. Joyce Beatty said.

The board on Thursday also voted to proceed with a two-year closure for proposed renovations, which was earlier blocked by a federal judge.

Is Trump’s name going back on the Kennedy Center?  CNN

The move sets the stage for a test of a judge's order that previously mandated Trump's name be removed.

The Kennedy Center board has proposed a new way to put President Donald Trump’s name back on the building.

In a twist, the board's latest plan calls for additional wording: "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.”

The Kennedy Center board voted to put U.S. President Donald Trump's name on the building and to close the complex's main building for renovations.

The Trump-appointed Kennedy Center board first tried to close the Center in May, but that decision was blocked by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who argued that the board’s decision “ill-informed and seemingly preordained.” On Thursday, the board voted again, this time deciding to close the center for two year

The Kennedy Centre's board of trustees have once again voted to add Donald Trump's name to the performing arts venue - despite being banned from doing so by a judge in June

Trump Loyalists Are Trying to Put His Name Back on the Kennedy Center  New York Magazine

President Donald Trump's name was removed from the Washington, D.C., performing arts center in June as the result of a lawsuit by an Ohio congresswoman.

Trustees condemn Kennedy Center’s move to re-add Trump’s name and shut down for extensive renovations.

The move appears designed to circumvent a judge's ruling that the US president's name should be removed, potentially setting the stage for a new legal fight over the Kennedy Center's name and future.

Donald Trump just won’t let go of his plans for the Kennedy Center. Less than three months after a federal judge ordered the president’s name stripped from the national arts center, Trump’s handpicked trustees have found a new way to try to put him back on the building. During a board meeting today, they voted in favor

Kennedy Center board votes to add Trump's name below building's sign  USA Today

US President Donald Trump has sought to burnish his legacy by getting his name and image placed on everything, from limited edition passports to a Florida airport.

The venue's board of trustees, which is stacked with Trump allies, reportedly voted to approve a workaround by adding the inscription "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump" to the building.

The vote to add the phrase 'Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump' to the building's façade sets up a test of a recent federal judge's ruling that blocked the performing arts venue's two-year closure and determined U.S. President Donald Trump's name was added to the building illegally.

The Kennedy Center board voted Thursday to add President Trump’s name to the performing arts building months after a judge blocked an effort to rename the center after him, according to multiple reports. The Trump-aligned board approved an inscription underneath the Kennedy Center’s name, reading: “Restored and Renovat

Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/Reuters Donald Trump and his allies have moved to put the president’s name back on the Kennedy Center and partially close the storied venue for a controversial two-year overhaul. Despite a federal judge’s order to remove his name, the center’s board, chaired b

Kennedy Center board votes to inscribe Trump's name on building  Reuters

WASHINGTON (AP) — The battle over the Kennedy Center's future escalated Thursday as President Donald Trump's allies on the board took new steps to commemorate him with physical changes to the iconic performing arts institution that could defy a federal court order.During an hourslong meeting that was conducted virtuall

Kennedy Center votes to restore Trump's name and close for 2 years, challenging a judge's order  apnews.com

The Kennedy Center board voted Thursday to again add President Trump's name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, per multiple reports. Why it matters: The move challenges a federal judge's ruling back in May that only Congress could change the name of the performing arts venue, and that Trump's name m

The Kennedy Centre board voted on Thursday to add US President Donald Trump’s name to the facade of the performing arts venue and move forward with a two-year closure, according to congresswoman Joyce Beatty, a trustee through her position in Congress, and her lawyers. A representative for the Kennedy Centre did not im

The Kennedy Center board has voted to restore Donald Trump's name to the building, despite a previous court ruling that barred the renaming.

The board voted to inscribe “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump” under the building’s name in a test of a recent court ruling.

The Trump-appointed Kennedy Center board on Thursday voted to partially close the iconic arts center for up to two years during renovations and to re-add President Donald Trump’s name to the building’s facade, according to one person who attended the virtual board meeting and a second person familiar with the meeting.

Aug 13 - The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted on Thursday to add an inscription bearing President Donald Trump's name to the building's exterior, according to Democratic U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty, a move that could set up a clash with a federal judge who previously ordered his na

The Kennedy Center's board of trustees on Thursday voted to move forward with President Trump's plan to close the building for renovations and to inscribe his name on the building to commemorate the upgrades.

Kennedy Center Board Votes To Inscribe Trump’s Name—Despite Court Ruling  Forbes

The center has until next week to present plan to judge who had blocked earlier rehab and name change US politics live – latest updates The board of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington is said to have voted once again to move forward with Donald Trump’s controversial plan to temporarily sh

The board voted to close the Washington, D.C., arts complex's main campus for a $250 million renovation — three months after a federal judge temporarily blocked a similar closure.

Trump-controlled board agrees to add the president’s name to the venue, directly below the sign

The Kennedy Center board voted on Thursday to return Donald Trump’s name to the front of the complex, amid a judge’s order that only Congress could change the official designation of the arts institution. The Trump controlled board voted to add a phrase below the center’s official name, The John F. Kennedy Memorial Cen

The Kennedy Center will move forward with a two-year closure of the sprawling performing arts venue to allow for substantial renovation work, while some outdoor programming may continue.

The moves set up a test of U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who ruled in May that letters affixed to the building and spelling out the Republican president’s name were added illegally.

Trump-Aligned Kennedy Center Board Votes To Add His Name To Building, Close For Two Years  HuffPost

The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday again voted to close the facility for two years of maintenance, according to a person familiar with the decision, proceeding with the controversial plan following a court rebuke that foiled an initial attempt to shutter the institution.

The vote to add “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump” is an aggressive test of a judge’s order to remove his name.

The Kennedy Center’s board is expected to meet Thursday to consider plans for the performing arts venue’s future after a federal judge blocked an earlier move for a two-year closure that would allow for substantial renovations. Ahead of the meeting, the Kennedy Center’s management said it would present the board with t

The organization tried to sue Chuck Redd for backing out of an annual Christmas eve gig, but a judge dismissed the suit in June