Donald Trump said the Kennedy Center board voted to close the Kennedy Center for two years after Judge Christopher Cooper blocked his name from being added back to the building. The closing now sits inside a court fight over control, branding, and renovations at the institution.
The board’s move came less than an hour after Cooper issued a written order. Trump wrote on Truth Social that the vote was “almost unanimously” for safety reasons and said the closing “will take place immediately,” but he also said renovations cannot begin until the court “rules on the Board's approved name.”
August and February
The sequence matters. In February 2025, Trump replaced several trustees on the Kennedy Center board. In May, Cooper ordered the removal of Trump’s name and blocked a temporary closure for proposed renovations. The board then approved a resolution in August to add “Renovated and Restored by President Donald J. Trump” to the venue, and in August it also backed “President Donald J. Trump Plaza” if $100m was raised for the renovations.
That is the practical knot now: the board has voted to close the venue, but the centre cannot close unless Cooper lifts the temporary block he put in place in May requiring it to stay open while Joyce Beatty’s lawsuit goes ahead. Cooper has already said the board could return and ask for the block to be lifted if it came to the decision to close in a prudent manner.
Joyce Beatty’s challenge
Joyce Beatty said the centre had planned for years to undergo phased renovations while still putting on some performances. She also said Trump “only cares about the Kennedy Center for his vanity” and described the attempted renaming as a breach of his fiduciary duty as a trustee. That gives the dispute a narrower frame than a simple naming fight: the board is testing how far it can go while a judge keeps one hand on the brakes.
Trump said he had raised $17m for the centre to “keep it afloat,” while Congress has approved more than $250m for renovations. He also said the US Department of Justice would ask for an expedited appeal and that he would take the case to the Supreme Court if the ruling is “negative”. For audiences and artists, the immediate issue is not a slogan on the front portico; it is whether the closure vote can survive the court order that still keeps the building open.
Friday for the appeal
The board is expected to ask by Friday for the temporary block to be lifted. If Cooper grants that request, the two-year closure can move from board resolution to operational reality. If he does not, the Kennedy Center stays open while the legal fight keeps working through the court system, and the naming dispute remains tied to the building’s day-to-day use.
