The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted on Thursday to add an inscription featuring President Donald Trump's name to the building's exterior and to rename the physical site. According to Democratic U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty, an ex officio member of the board, the new facade will state the center was "Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump," while the grounds will be called "the President Donald J. Trump Plaza."
The board's decision follows a series of legal disputes regarding the center's branding. In December, the Trump administration added the president's name to the facade, but a federal judge ordered its removal in May, ruling that such a change required an act of Congress. Following an unsuccessful appeals court bid by the administration last month, workers removed the name in June.
The New York Times reported that a board resolution cited a desire to "recognize and honor President Trump’s existential and unprecedented contributions to the survival of the center by all legal means." Alongside the naming vote, the board also moved to close the Kennedy Center for a period of two years. Rep. Beatty has filed a lawsuit against the administration and the center, challenging the legality of the name change and the closure.
The move also impacts the legal standing of the center's branding and its relationship with federal oversight. The Trump administration argued that including the president's name was necessary for fundraising and the center's financial health, though an appeals court recently found these claims were not supported by specific evidence. For the general public, the most visible change would be the modification of the building's exterior and the renaming of the surrounding plaza, should the board's resolution proceed.
The board’s action sets up a potential conflict with the previous federal court ruling that prohibited renaming the venue without congressional approval. The knock-on effects could involve further litigation or a requirement for legislative action from Congress to resolve the naming dispute. What happens next depends on the outcome of Rep. Beatty’s lawsuit and whether the federal court system intervenes to block the board's resolution before the new inscriptions are installed.
The administration has previously stated that removing the name would harm the center's finances, while the court has maintained that the center is an iconic venue whose naming rights are governed by law. No specific dates for the start of the two-year closure or the physical installation of the new signage were reported.