Overview
- The board voted 20–3 on Thursday, August 13, 2026 to place an inscription reading in effect “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump” beneath the Kennedy marquee and to designate the grounds as “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”
- Trustees also approved a plan to close the Kennedy Center’s main building for a time‑limited renovation while keeping the Reach annex open for limited programming and moving some memorial displays out of the main hall.
- The three no votes came from ex‑officio congressional trustees Rep. Joyce Beatty, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. Rick Larsen, who argued the move circumvents federal law that reserves the memorial’s naming to Congress.
- U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper, who in May ordered Trump’s letters removed and blocked an earlier closure as “ill‑informed and seemingly preordained,” has demanded updates about the facade covering and is expected to review the board’s new actions, which the resolution instructs officials to defend by “all legal means.”
- The vote follows months of institutional turmoil after President Trump replaced Kennedy Center leadership in February 2025, a shift that cost the center major artists, prompted lawsuits, strained donor relationships and helped secure roughly $257 million in federal renovation funds now cited to justify the shutdown.