Kennedy Center Board Votes to Restore Trump's Name, Approve Two-Year Closure

On August 13, 2026, the Kennedy Center's board of trustees, composed largely of Trump appointees, voted to restore President Trump's name to the performing arts building in Washington, D.C., and to name the institution's grounds "President Donald J. Trump Plaza." The same board vote approved moving forward with a roughly two-year closure of the main building for extensive renovations, a plan that had earlier been blocked by a federal judge. The board's actions followed a prior court ruling stating that only Congress, not the board, had authority to change the center's name, after Trump's name had been removed months earlier. Following the vote, the Kennedy Center agreed to delay physically placing an inscription reading "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump" on the building amid ongoing litigation, according to reporting in mid-to-late August. A Democratic lawmaker asked a federal judge to block the inscription from being added. Some outdoor programming was expected to continue during the closure, even as the main building shut down for construction. By mid-September, Trump said he would block the renovation project and threatened to close the Kennedy Center "immediately" unless courts allowed his name to be added to the building. As of mid-September 2026, the legal dispute over the naming remained unresolved, with litigation ongoing and a court petition pending to block the inscription. The Kennedy Center's financial condition was reported as precarious, with some officials suggesting that adding Trump's name could help avert what was described as potential "fiscal collapse," while other reports characterized the institution as facing possible bankruptcy or closure. The exact timeline for the renovation, the resolution of the naming lawsuit, and the ultimate financial outcome for the center remain unconfirmed.