Kennedy Center Board Votes to Put Trump's Name Back on Building

This afternoon, the board of trustees for the Kennedy Center voted once again to inscribe President Trump’s name on the facade of the main building, adding another chapter to the ongoing saga of the troubled performing arts center in Washington, DC.

According to the board resolution, the phrase “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump,” would appear beneath the building’s main signage following the conclusion of a proposed $257 million renovation that would see the main building closed to the public for two years. This story was initially reported in the New York Times.

Last December, the board voted to rename the Center “The Donald J. Trump and the John J. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” and new signage quickly appeared on the facade of the main building. But in May, Federal District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper ruled that the name change was unlawful, and only Congress could rename the Center. The new signage was removed in June.

This latest move from the board set up a showdown with Judge Cooper, who is slated to review the board’s decision to shutter the main building for renovation and decided whether or not the board exercised proper due diligence.  He has previously written that the law requires the Kennedy Center to maintain an active memorial to President John F. Kennedy, which may complicate the planned renovation and closure. The new signage, which puts President Trump’s name on the building without officially renaming it in his honor, appears to be an effort to skirt the previous ruling.

The embattled performing arts center has faced canceled engagements and the departure of partner organizations like the Washington National Opera since Trump returned to the White House, replaced the Kennedy Center board with a slate of loyalists, and was named chairman of the organization.  Touring Broadway shows are no longer announcing stops at the Kennedy Center, and the National Symphony Orchestra has yet to announced a fall season.

Judge Cooper has given the board until next week to share its plan concerning the proposed renovation.