Kennedy Center shuts for ‘safety reasons’ after judge stops Trump re-adding his name

President Donald Trump has been relentlessly battling to have his name on the Kennedy Center. Now, a judge has ruled he’s legally prohibited from doing so.

Following the ruling, the Kennedy Center board voted (chaired by Trump and includes his cabinet members and allies) “almost unanimously” to shut down the building for “safety reasons, and so that it can begin the process of reconstruction.”

The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the US.

Variety reported that despite the ruling, Trump stated the renovation project “cannot begin until such time as the DC 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 US Supreme Court, the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place.”

The Justice Department’s attorneys are set to file for “an expedited appeal.” It’s expected to be filed Friday, CNN reported.

However, the center cannot close unless the federal judge Christopher Cooper lifts a temporary block that he put in place. 

At the time, Judge Cooper also issued a temporary block on Trump’s demand that the Kennedy Center close for two years of renovations. Furthermore, the judge called those plans an “ill-informed and seemingly preordained decision.”

‘Donald Trump only cares about the Kennedy Center for his vanity.’

Reportedly, Trump called into the Kenny Center meeting in which he “screamed” and “berated” Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty, who serves on the board, according to the CNN report. 

Beatty’s legal team also said Trump “Trump verbally berated” the congresswoman “for her efforts to save the Center.”

In a statement, Beatty said: “For years, the Kennedy Center has planned to undergo phased renovations, in which we both renovate and maintain some performances. This is how major performing arts centers in the country operate. But donors, patrons, and artists all fled after the unlawful attempt to rename this sacred memorial after Donald Trump.

“Donald Trump only cares about the Kennedy Center for his vanity. That is wrong and it is a breach of his fiduciary duty as a trustee. Congress established the Kennedy Center as a living memorial to President Kennedy, and I am proud to defend this cherished institution.”

In December 2025, the Kennedy Center board “voted unanimously” to rename the institution the Trump-Kennedy Center.

Trump’s name was added to the façade, but in June, a judge ruled the President’s name must be removed.

“Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” US District Judge Cooper wrote on 29 May.

Following the ruling, the center removed Trump’s name from the façade and other materials. Since then, a tarp has covered the front façade.