President Donald Trump announced that the Kennedy Center’s main building will close for up to two years after the board voted to shut it down for renovations, hours after a judge again blocked efforts to add Trump’s name to the building’s exterior. The decision comes after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the board cannot add Trump’s name to the building or rename the grounds without congressional approval. Trump claimed that the board of the Kennedy Center voted almost unanimously to shut it down for safety reasons and begin a major renovation process.
He also said the Department of Justice would urgently appeal, and he said he had provided $17 million to an endowment intended to support the center. The Justice Department filed an appeal after Cooper’s ruling, according to the Associated Press. Earlier in August, the board approved a resolution to rename the grounds the 'President Donald J. Trump Plaza' and add an inscription honoring Trump. A separate inscription referring to the Trump Kennedy Center Fund would be added only if the fund reached $100 million. However, the center cannot officially close unless a federal judge lifts a temporary order that has kept it open since May.
Cooper issued that preliminary injunction in May after finding that Beatty was likely to succeed on her claim that the board’s March closure vote violated its duty to act prudently. Beatty criticized Trump for prioritizing his own image over the center’s mission, calling it a breach of his duties as a trustee. She said Trump only cares about the Kennedy Center for personal vanity, not for its role in preserving President John F. Kennedy’s legacy. Beatty made those comments after arguing that the center could undergo phased renovations while maintaining some performances.
The legal challenges to Trump’s changes stem in part from a 1964 law in which Congress renamed the National Cultural Center as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after Kennedy’s assassination. In February 2025, Trump replaced several board members and later in December the new leadership voted to rename the institution. The current leadership at the Kennedy Center stated that the building is unsafe for continued use, pointing to a ceiling section falling earlier this month. A section of the Grand Foyer ceiling fell during stormy weather on September 4. No one was injured.
Trump described the situation as dire and called Cooper hostile and conflicted while arguing that the building was in a virtual state of collapse. He pointed to the recent partial ceiling collapse as evidence that the main building was unsafe for continued use. The board, which is chaired by Trump and includes his cabinet members and allies, approved the resolution in August.
The judge’s order came just before the board voted to close the center. Trump said the board had made a prudent decision to shut down the venue for safety reasons and to begin rebuilding. The center has been under financial strain, with leadership saying it cannot meet payroll or maintain operations within weeks. Reuters reported that center leaders have warned that the institution could soon be unable to meet payroll obligations or maintenance contracts.
The judge had previously said the board could reconsider a closure if it did so through a prudent and properly informed process. Trump has also said that he provided $17 million for the center. The institution’s leadership has said that it is in a precarious fiscal position and cannot continue operations without major funding. Congress has separately allocated $257 million for repairs and renovations at the Kennedy Center.
The board had previously proposed changing the name to reflect Trump’s role, but a federal court has blocked that move. The May preliminary injunction means the latest closure vote cannot take effect unless Cooper lifts or modifies that order. Joyce Beatty, who brought the lawsuit, criticized Trump’s actions as self-serving and not in line with the center's mission. She argued that Trump’s leadership has ignored the center’s role as a memorial to President Kennedy.
Administration lawyers have also said that if the renovation does not move forward, the building could eventually require demolition and replacement, but no final decision to demolish it has been made. The legal fight continues as both sides await further court decisions on the future of the Kennedy Center.