Kennedy Center Delays Restoring Trump’s Name Until Sept. 8 Amid Legal Battle

Kennedy Center tells court it won’t try to restore Trump’s name to the building before Sept. 8 Kennedy Center tells court it won’t try to restore Trump’s name to the building before Sept. 8 WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center has told a federal court that it would not attempt to return President Donald Trump’s name to the building’s facade before at least Sept. 8 as another legal battle over the performing arts venue’s future takes shape. In a status report filed late Tuesday, opponents of the move said members of the Kennedy Center’s Trump-aligned board “seem intent” on defying an earlier court order requiring the Republican president’s name to be removed from the building. The Kennedy Center said it would not move forward with the plans until after Labor Day “at the earliest” to allow time for legal arguments. Lawyers for Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who is an ex officio member of the board, pressed U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper for an earlier ruling, arguing there is “every reason to believe that Defendants will attempt to effectuate some or part of this latest unlawful resolution at the earliest opportunity after September 8.” A board meeting this month that was expected to largely focus on options to close the Kennedy Center for renovations instead transformed into another push to attach Trump’s name to the building, part of a broader move by the president and his supporters to leave a physical mark on the nation’s capital. The board passed a resolution to name the plaza in front of the building after Trump and add his name to the venue’s facade so it would read “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.” In the filing, Beatty said the board also agreed to add an additional reference to the president if the Trump Kennedy Center Fund reached $100 million. In that event, the facade would read “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.” The board also voted to back a two-year closure for renovations, while some of the institution’s signature programming, including the Kennedy Center Honors and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, would take place at off-site locations. The National Symphony Orchestra announced this week it would split its upcoming season between six venues in and around Washington. Cooper ruled in May that letters affixed to the building spelling out Trump’s name were added illegally and he ordered their removal, a decision that the administration failed to persuade courts to overturn. Since then, a tarp has covered the area where the letters were once installed, frustrating those who sought to remove the president’s name from the building. Kennedy Center makes no commitment to removing tarp In the latest filing, the Kennedy Center made no commitment to remove the tarp, saying the covering was in place to facilitate the removal of Trump’s name and is part of a broader system needed for “water testing and structural repairs to the roof overhang.” More broadly, Beatty’s lawyers, Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky, questioned the integrity of the board’s vote this month, echoing concerns Cooper raised when he called a March vote to shutter the building “ill-informed and seemingly preordained.” Heading into the August meeting, the Kennedy Center’s management said it would provide the board with three options, including a complete closure or a partial closure that would allow “some continued public access and limited programming in spaces unaffected” by the work. A third option would “consider a highly limited series of phased closures to address only the Center’s most serious infrastructure needs while scheduling and maintaining a full slate of programming.” In Tuesday’s filing, the Kennedy Center said a Delta Consulting Group analyst concluded that a partial closure that would play out over four years “would increase the length and cost of construction and lead to substantial safety concerns.” The analyst “recommended that the Board proceed with a full closure for two years, which would minimize total cost, minimize the amount of time that programming would be subject to disruptions from construction, and best preserve the Center’s reputation as world-class performing-arts venue,” the Kennedy Center said. Eisen and Zelinsky, however, noted that materials were provided to the board just two days before the meeting. They said some documents appeared to have been created before Cooper’s May ruling and referred to the Kennedy Center’s closure that was initially set to take effect on July 6. The August vote to close the Kennedy Center, Beatty’s lawyers argued, “exhibits the same flaws as the first vote.”

The Kennedy Center informs the court that it will not restore Trump’s name on its façade before September 8 The Kennedy Center notified a federal court that it will not seek to reinstall Donald Trump’s name on the building’s façade before September 8, as a new legal dispute over the performing arts venue unfolds. WASHINGTON — The Kennedy Center notified a federal court that it will not seek to reinstate the president Donald Trump’s name on the building’s façade before September 8, in the context of a new legal dispute over the future of the cultural venue. In a report filed on Tuesday, opponents to this measure warned that some members of the Kennedy Center board, linked to Trump, appear determined to challenge a prior court order that requires removing the name of the Republican president. The institution stated that it would not proceed with its plans until after Labor Day to allow legal arguments to be presented. Joyce Beatty’s attorneys, the Democratic representative from Ohio and ex officio member of the board, urged federal district judge Christopher Cooper to issue a ruling sooner, arguing that there are reasons to believe the defendants will seek to execute the illegal resolution as soon as possible after September 8. A board meeting scheduled for this month, which was expected to focus largely on options to close the Kennedy Center for renovations, became a new attempt to place Trump’s name on the building, within a broader effort by the president and his allies to leave a physical mark on the capital. The board approved a resolution to rename the plaza in front of the building in honor of Trump and to add his name to the façade, which would read: “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.” In the document, Beatty noted that the board also agreed to include an additional reference to the president if the Trump Kennedy Center Fund reached $100 million. If realized, the façade would read: “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump, Funded by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.” The board also voted in favor of a two-year shutdown for renovations, while part of the institution’s signature programming, including the Kennedy Center Awards and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, would be held at external venues. The National Symphony Orchestra announced it would split its upcoming season between six venues in Washington and the surrounding area. Cooper ruled in May that the letters spelling Trump’s name installed on the building were added illegally and ordered their removal, a decision the government has not succeeded in overturning in court. Since then, a banner has covered the area where the letters were, frustrating those seeking to remove the president’s name from the building. In its latest filing, the Kennedy Center did not commit to removing the banner, arguing that it was placed to facilitate the removal of Trump’s name and that it is part of a broader system necessary for “water testing and structural repairs to the roof overhang.” Beatty’s lawyers questioned the integrity of the board vote, reflecting concerns Cooper raised when he described a previous vote as “misinformed and apparently predetermined.” Ahead of the August meeting, the Kennedy Center administration indicated it would present the board with three options, including a total shutdown or a partial shutdown allowing “continued public access and limited programming in spaces not affected” by the renovations. A third option would consider phased closures to address the center’s more urgent needs while keeping a full marquee. The Kennedy Center also reported that a Delta Consulting Group analyst concluded that a partial four-year shutdown would increase costs and construction duration, as well as raise safety concerns. The analyst recommended proceeding with a full shutdown for two years, which would minimize costs and reduce interruption to programming, preserving the center’s reputation as a world-class performing arts venue. However, Beatty’s attorneys noted that materials were delivered to the board just two days before the meeting and that some documents appeared to have been prepared before Cooper’s May ruling. They argued that the August vote to close the Kennedy Center shares the same flaws as the first vote. Quick take What did the Kennedy Center announce? It will not attempt to restore Trump’s name on its façade before September 8. Who is Joyce Beatty? The Democratic representative from Ohio and ex officio board member of the Kennedy Center. What did the Kennedy Center board decide? They approved renaming the plaza in front of the building in honor of Trump and adding his name to the façade. What did Judge Christopher Cooper say? He ruled that the letters spelling Trump’s name were added illegally and ordered their removal. How long will the Kennedy Center be closed? A two-year shutdown for renovations was approved. [Source: AP]

The Kennedy Center plans to add President Donald Trump’s name back to the front of its building in early September, lawyers for the institution told a federal judge. The revelation came in court filings submitted late Tuesday as part of a protracted legal fight over the fate of the historic preforming arts venue and memorial to the late President John F. Kennedy, where the board last week voted, once again, to close its doors for a yearslong renovation and to add the president’s name to its marble façade. The latest change would see the addition of an inscription below the Kennedy Center’s sign that says the venue was “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.” Another add to the front referencing Trump could come later if an endowment reaches $100 million, the board said. The center also plans to rename the physical site the building sits on in honor of Trump. Meanwhile, long white tarps that cover the part of the building where Trump’s name once sat atop Kennedy’s have remained there for much of the summer and do not appear to be coming down any time soon. A federal judge had previously ruled that the center’s board violated the law when it added Trump’s name alongside that of Kennedy, the 35th president, and lawyers representing Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, who brought the legal challenge, plan to ask him to step in again to block this latest change. The center told the court in the filing that they won’t add Trump’s name back until September 8 at the earliest. “This Court should not permit defendants to effectuate this latest gambit, in direct contravention of its earlier decision and in naked defiance of the law,” lawyers for Beatty told US District Judge Christopher Cooper, urging him to decide whether adding Trump’s name back to the building is lawful before September 8. The lawyers blasted the center for its decision to “refuse to unequivocally commit to forestall effectuation” of the latest name change until Cooper has a chance to decide whether or not it’s legal. The case is one of several questioning the legality of Trump’s efforts to leave a lasting mark on historic sites in and around Washington, DC, by renovating buildings or adding new memorials. The center’s board, which is stacked with individuals picked by the president, is trying to close the center for extensive renovations to the building, but critics contend that the plans were cooked up so the center wouldn’t continue to face slumping ticket sales and lackluster programming. Tarp remains Earlier this summer, Trump’s name was removed from the front of the building after Cooper, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, ruled the venue could only be named for Kennedy. Crews standing on scaffolding erected outside the building worked behind tarps to take down the letters spelling out “The Donald J. Trump and.” But since then, the tarps have remained, obscuring the public’s view of the official name of the building. The center had previously said that the tarps and scaffolding needed to remain up so workers could address damage to the part of the building where Trump’s name used to be. But in Tuesday’s filing, they said the scaffolding was still in place to help workers “investigate, and engineer structural repairs to the overhead soffit.” Beatty’s lawyers say that explanation falls flat since “the soffits are some twenty feet or more above the scaffolding.” They’re asking Cooper to issue an order that would require the center to explain why the tarp should not be taken down in coming weeks. “Defendants imply that they will erect more scaffolding around the rest of the Center, presumably to examine other portions of the roof,” they wrote. “But defendants tellingly have not done so for months, leaving only the Center’s iconic name obscured – a strong indication that this structure has nothing to do with the roof and is, instead, meant to defy a return to the status quo.” CNN’s Sunlen Serfaty and Betsy Klein contributed to this report.

TheKennedy Center plansto inscribe President Donald Trump’s name on its building in early September, delaying the restoration until after Labor Day following a legal challenge by Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty. Lawyers for the performing arts venue told a federal judge on August 19 that they will not add the inscription before September 8 at the earliest, according to court filings. The inscription would read “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump” and appear below the Kennedy Center’s main sign. The board voted unanimously on August 13 to approve both the inscription and a two-year closure for renovations, testing the boundaries of a federal court’s earlier ruling that blocked Trump’s name from the building. In May 2026, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that Trump’s name had been illegally added to the building and that only Congress has the authority to change its official name. Judge Cooper wrote in his 94-page decision that it was “crystal clear” the arts complex was named for the late President John F. Kennedy. The administration was ordered to remove Trump’s name within 14 days, and workers complied in June, though white tarps and scaffolding have remained on the building’s facade since then. The board’s latest strategy shifts from renaming the building outright to adding an inscription—a distinction the Trump administration argues may sidestep the judge’s ruling. However, Beatty’s lawyers have already signaled they will ask Judge Cooper to block this new approach before September 8, calling it “a direct contravention of its earlier decision and in naked defiance of the law.” Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and ex-officio trustee of the Kennedy Center’s board, brought the original lawsuit in December 2025. The case is part of a broader legal fight over Trump’s efforts to leave a lasting mark on historic Washington sites through renovations and name changes. The board, which includes individuals handpicked by Trump, has pursued the naming effort despite the court’s explicit prohibition. The center also plans to rename the physical grounds surrounding the building in Trump’s honor and said an additional reference to Trump could be added to the front of the building itself if an endowment reaches $100 million. The legal dispute underscores the ongoing tension between the Trump administration’s vision for the iconic performing arts venue and congressional intent to honor President Kennedy’s legacy.

WASHINGTON - A Democratic board member of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts said she will seek a court order blocking Republican President Donald Trump's name from being newly inscribed on the building's facade, months after a federal judge said only Congress could rename the iconic Washington venue. In a court filing late on Tuesday, Democratic U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty said the board had acted in "naked defiance" of the judge’s prior decision in the case. The center’s board, stocked with Trump-appointed allies, voted 20-3 on August 13 to alter the building's signage to read "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump," while naming the center's grounds the "President Donald J. Trump Plaza." The board also voted to close the center for two years. Beatty asked for additional proceedings in the case in order to seek a ruling halting the return of Trump's name to the building, which absent court intervention could happen as early as September 8. "Adding the words 'Restored and Renovated by,' or 'Endowed by,' before President Trump’s name, and renaming the ground on which the building sits, provides no lawful basis to ignore this Court’s decision and impose Donald Trump’s name on a memorial dedicated by the Congress exclusively to a different President," the filing said. Lawyers for the Trump administration said in the joint filing that they disagreed with Beatty's arguments and that "the record will demonstrate the Board's prudence." Beatty, a member of the Kennedy Center's board by virtue of her position in Congress, sued the Trump administration last year after the board changed the Kennedy Center's name and altered its signage to place Trump's name before that of President Kennedy. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in May that the board overstepped its authority by unilaterally renaming the site, which was created as a memorial to Kennedy after the Democratic president's 1963 assassination. Cooper said the board had wide discretion to make operational decisions about the center but could not rename it. “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” the judge ruled. Trump's name was removed from the building's white marble facade in June, with a large tarp draped over the wall since then. A federal appeals court in July denied the administration's bid to keep the name up while it appeals Cooper's ruling. In Tuesday's filing, the Trump administration said the tarp and scaffolding were erected for water testing and structural repairs to a roof overhang. Beatty's lawyers called that explanation a "pretextual justification," arguing the tarp and scaffolding are meant to "frustrate the intent of the Court’s order that the Center be returned to a memorial exclusively honoring President Kennedy." Trump’s push to renovate and rename the Kennedy Center is part of the president's broader efforts to reshape Washington. Last week, an appeals court ordered the administration to stop construction on a $400 million ballroom Trump plans at the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing.

National Symphony Orchestra will perform at 6 venues in the Washington area due to the Kennedy Center closure After being forced to leave the Kennedy Center following an alignment of Trump-era allies who approved a reconstruction project, the National Symphony Orchestra will divide its 2026-27 season between six venues in Washington and the capital’s suburbs. The orchestra made its long-delayed announcement for the 2026-27 season on Tuesday, five and a half weeks before its inaugural concert on September 26 and five months after the release of its 2025-26 schedule. The Kennedy Center, named by Congress in honor of President John F. Kennedy, was seized in 2025 by a board loyal to Trump that added his name to the complex; subsequently, a federal judge ordered its removal. The board said last week that it intends to close the complex for a two-year renovation and to add Trump’s name to the building’s façade so that it reads: “John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, restored and renovated by President Donald J. Trump.” Ticket sales for the National Symphony Orchestra fell from 72% of capacity in 2024 to 58% in 2025 and 41% last season, The Washington Post reported. The orchestra did not confirm the figures. “Performing and being somewhat disconnected from the Kennedy Center will probably persuade part of the audience that stayed away from the center to return to our concerts, and not only that, but—moreover—increase attendance. At least, that is my hope,” said music director Gianandrea Noseda in an interview with The Associated Press. Noseda was the only orchestra official to speak publicly about the season announcement. Trump’s name was included twice in the joint statement from the orchestra and the Kennedy Center, which cited his “strategic leadership” as president of the center and his “vision for a revitalized institution.” As he begins his tenth season as music director, Noseda has a contract through the National Symphony Orchestra’s centennial season, 2030-31. Tickets go on sale August 28, leaving little time to begin rebuilding the audience. There are 64 classical concerts programmed for the orchestra next season, including 56 in the Washington area and eight on a U.S. tour from April 20 to 30. The total matches 2025-26, when there were 62 at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall and two on tour. Next season will include 24 concerts at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium in the capital (capacity 1,350), 13 at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, Maryland (1,925), nine at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria (900), eight at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax, Virginia (1,850), and two at each of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland in College Park (1,050) and the Lincoln Theatre in D.C. (1,150). “I will increase the orchestra’s capacity to adapt very quickly to the acoustics. I’d like to think of this year for the National Symphony as a regional touring orchestra,” Noseda said. “So we will be touring and bringing and presenting the music to where the people are, rather than inviting them to where we perform.” Venue capacities will be below those of the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, which had up to 2,465 seats. The orchestra still plans to rehearse at the Kennedy Center during the reconstruction and to keep its office and its music library there. Noseda will conduct 20 concerts at five venues during the five weeks in the Washington area, starting with a gala on September 26 at Strathmore, and will also lead the tour performances. He noted that only two of his programs were changed from the original plans, replacing Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 with Gioachino Rossini’s William Tell Overture and a composition by Ottorino Respighi with another, both changes made to accommodate a smaller stage that could seat fewer musicians. Five festive performances of Handel’s Messiah by George Frideric Handel are the only concerts requiring a chorus. “Sincerely, I would have preferred not to have to go through this, but the situation is what it is, and we have to be proactive,” added Noseda.

In new filings, Kennedy Center says it won't try to put Trump's name on facade until Sept. 8 In a status report submitted late Tuesday to a federal court, the Kennedy Center outlined its plans to put President Trump's name back on the arts complex. The signage proposed by the center's board would eventually read: "The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump, Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund." The last line would be added only if the fund reaches $100 million in donations. Additionally, the board is seeking to rename the physical grounds of the arts center "President Donald J. Trump Plaza." The Kennedy Center said it would not try to add Trump's name back on the building before Sept. 8. In its filing, the center also argued that the much-discussed tarp that has been covering the signage at the complex's front entrance is a "necessary element of the ongoing construction activities," and is there in part to protect the marble paneling during the renovation. The status report was filed with Judge Christopher R. Cooper, the federal judge presiding over the lawsuit between the Kennedy Center and Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex-officio member of its board. In the same filing, Beatty's lawyers urged Cooper to make a ruling before Sept. 8, writing: "There is thus every reason to believe that Defendants will attempt to effectuate some or part of this latest unlawful resolution at the earliest opportunity after Sept. 8. Moreover, Plaintiff is concerned that Defendants already may have damaged the historic marble that lines the facade with their original desecration of the Center's facade by attaching President Trump's name above President Kennedy's." Beatty's team also argued that the tarp is not a construction requirement, contending that the center's board "are maintaining scaffolding and a tarp to cover the Kennedy Center's façade to frustrate the intent of the Court's order that the Center be returned to a memorial exclusively honoring President Kennedy." The Tuesday federal filings also reveal that earlier this month the board was presented with two different options for a Kennedy Center shutdown prepared by a Virginia-based firm, Delta Consulting Group. One of the options was for a total shutdown of the complex; the other was for a partial shutdown. Beatty's lawyers claim Delta has no experience in arts management. NPR requested comment from Delta and the Kennedy Center, but did not receive an immediate reply. Since last year, NPR has asked the Kennedy Center repeatedly about the experts consulted on this renovation project, but has never received a response. Elements of the Tuesday filing are under seal, including the building plans and the consultant's report. Separately on Tuesday, the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) – which is an anchor tenant at the Kennedy Center, and whose finances are deeply intertwined with the complex itself – announced its upcoming 2026-27 performance season. The orchestra will rotate its concerts between six different venues in the greater Washington, D.C. region. The NSO has fallen into a deep financial crisis amid a widespread Kennedy Center boycott by both artists and audiences, according to multiple NSO internal sources who are not authorized to speak publicly. The orchestra's money woes were first reported by The Washington Post. Venue switches can pose huge uphill battles for arts organizations, as they require audiences to put aside their performance-attending routines. In the case of the NSO, however, performances outside of the Kennedy Center at this point may prove more attractive to prospective concertgoers, even if the venue were to remain open during construction.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center informed a federal court that it would not attempt to return the name of President Donald Trump to the building’s facade before, at the earliest, September 8, as another legal fight over the future of the performing-arts venue takes shape. In a late Tuesday situation report, opponents of the measure noted that Kennedy Center board members aligned with Trump “seem determined” to challenge a prior court order requiring the removal of the Republican president’s name from the building. The Kennedy Center said it would not move forward with the plans until after Labor Day “at the earliest,” to allow time for legal arguments. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Lawyers for Representative Joyce Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio who is an ex officio board member, pressed federal District Judge Christopher Cooper to issue a ruling sooner, arguing that there are “every reason to believe the defendants will attempt to carry out some or all of this last illegal resolution at the first opportunity after September 8.” A board meeting this month, which was expected to largely focus on options for closing the Kennedy Center for renovations, instead became another push to place Trump’s name on the building, as part of a broader movement by the president and his supporters to leave a physical mark on the nation’s capital. The board approved a resolution to name the plaza in front of the building in honor of Trump and to add his name to the venue’s facade to read: “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, restored and renewed by President Donald J. Trump.” In the filing, Beatty stated that the board also agreed to add an additional reference to the president if the Trump Kennedy Center Fund reached $100 million. In that case, the facade would read: “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, restored and renewed by President Donald J. Trump and funded by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad The board also voted in favor of a two-year closure for renovations, while parts of the institution’s iconic programming, including the Kennedy Center Awards and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, would be held at external venues. The National Symphony Orchestra this week announced it would split its upcoming season among six venues in Washington and the surrounding area. Cooper ruled in May that the letters affixed to Trump’s name on the building were added illegally and ordered their removal, a decision the government failed to get overturned by the courts. Since then, a banner has covered the area where the letters were installed, frustrating those who sought to remove the president’s name from the building. In the most recent filing, the Kennedy Center did not commit to removing the banner, and said the cover was placed to facilitate removal of Trump’s name and is part of a broader system required for “water testing and structural repairs of the roof overhang.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad More generally, Beatty’s lawyers questioned the integrity of this month’s board vote, echoing concerns Cooper raised when he described a March vote to close the building as “misinformed and seemingly predetermined.” Ahead of the August meeting, the Kennedy Center administration said it would present the board with three options, including a full closure or a partial closure that would allow “some ongoing public access and limited programming in spaces not affected by the work.” A third option “would consider a very limited series of phased closures solely to address the center’s most severe infrastructure needs while scheduling and maintaining a full lineup.” In Tuesday’s filing, the Kennedy Center noted that a Delta Consulting Group analyst concluded that a partial closure carried out over four years “would lengthen the construction period and increase costs and raise significant safety concerns.” The analyst “recommended that the board proceed with a full two-year closure, which would minimize total cost, minimize the time programming would be subject to construction disruptions, and better preserve the center’s reputation as a world-class performing-arts venue,” the Kennedy Center said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Beatty’s lawyers, however, noted that materials were delivered to the board just two days before the meeting. They indicated that some documents appeared to have been prepared before Cooper’s May ruling and referred to the Kennedy Center’s closure that was initially slated to take effect on July 6. The August vote to close the Kennedy Center, Beatty’s lawyers argued, “has the same flaws as the first vote.”

byFinya Swai08/19/26 04:06 PM ET The Kennedy Center has agreed to hold off on placing President Trump’s name onto the performing arts building amid an ongoing legal battle over the venue. The center’s Trump-aligned boardvoted last weekto add the president’s name to its building again, months after a federal judge ordered it removed. The center saidin a status reportfiled late Tuesday that it would not carry out the plans before Sept. 8. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board who successfully sued the Trump administration over changes to the building, is listed as a plaintiff in the report and sought to have the court block the latest move. Her attorneys argued the board is trying to get around an earlier ruling from U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper barring Trump’s name from being placed on the center, which was established by Congress to be a tribute to former President Kennedy, and are asking the court to intervene before Sep. 8. The board’s new resolution would add an inscription on the building’s facade reading, “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.” It would also rename the center’s grounds the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.” The center initially agreed to hold off on the changes until Aug. 27, before extending that commitment to Sept. 8. It declined, however, to promise it would wait until Cooper rules on the legality of the resolution, according to Beatty’s attorneys. The dispute is the latest clash over Trump’s efforts to reshape the Kennedy Center. Trump fired the center’s board en masse last year and installed his allies after naming himself the new board chair. Cooper ruled in May the center could not add Trump’s name to the congressionally established memorial and ordered the lettering be removed. References to the presidentwere also scrubbedfrom the center’s website. The filing also details a separate fight over the center’s planned two-year closure for renovations. The boardvoted last weekto close the main building while continuing some programming elsewhere. Beatty’s attorneys are challenging that vote and asking the court to allow further discovery into how the decision to close the building was made.

Democracy Dies in Darkness By Jonathan Edwards The Kennedy Center tarp is here to stay for the foreseeable future. The center’s leaders said Tuesday that they have kept a tarp-covered scaffolding up for more than two months so that crews can conduct water testing and make structural repairs to the front portico’s roof overhang. The scaffolding was originally erected on June 12 to comply with a federal judge’s order that President Donald Trump’s name be removed from the center’s facade. What readers are saying The comments express strong disapproval of President Donald Trump's actions regarding the Kennedy Center, particularly the decision to keep a tarp up, which many believe is to hide the removal of Trump's name. Commenters criticize Trump's perceived pettiness, ego, and disregard... Show more This summary is AI-generated. AI can make mistakes and this summary is not a replacement for reading the comments. Comments 199 Related Articles Travis Andrews , Janay Kingsberry , Kelsey Ables , Naveen Kumar and Geoff Edgers ‘Crisis’: The fallout from Trump’s surprise plan to close Kennedy Center February 2, 2026 Jonathan Edwards Judge orders Kennedy Center to remove Trump’s name from building May 29, 2026 ColumnPhilip Kennicott Trump’s name may come off the Kennedy Center. He could still destroy it. May 31, 2026 ColumnPhilip Kennicott Closing the Kennedy Center may be the best of bad options August 14, 2026 AnalysisAmber Phillips What happened this week under Trump June 12, 2026 * Jonathan Edwards Most Americans approve of taking Trump’s name off the Kennedy Center July 1, 2026 View 3 more storiesView 3 more stories !pixel

In a status report submitted late Tuesday to a federal court, the Kennedy Center outlined its plans to put President Trump's name back on the arts complex. The signage proposed by the center's board would eventually read: "The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump, Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund." The last line would be added only if the fund reaches $100 million in donations. Additionally, the board is seeking to rename the physical grounds of the arts center "President Donald J. Trump Plaza." The Kennedy Center said it would not try to add Trump's name back on the building before Sept. 8. In its filing, the center also argued that the much-discussed tarp that has been covering the signage at the complex's front entrance is a "necessary element of the ongoing construction activities," and is there in part to protect the marble paneling during the renovation. The status report was filed with Judge Christopher R. Cooper, the federal judge presiding over the lawsuit between the Kennedy Center and Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex-officio member of its board. In the same filing, Beatty's lawyers urged Cooper to make a ruling before Sept. 8, writing: "There is thus every reason to believe that Defendants will attempt to effectuate some or part of this latest unlawful resolution at the earliest opportunity after Sept. 8. Moreover, Plaintiff is concerned that Defendants already may have damaged the historic marble that lines the facade with their original desecration of the Center's facade by attaching President Trump's name above President Kennedy's." Beatty's team also argued that the tarp is not a construction requirement, contending that the center's board "are maintaining scaffolding and a tarp to cover the Kennedy Center's façade to frustrate the intent of the Court's order that the Center be returned to a memorial exclusively honoring President Kennedy." The Tuesday federal filings also reveal that earlier this month the board was presented with two different options for a Kennedy Center shutdown prepared by a Virginia-based firm, Delta Consulting Group. One of the options was for a total shutdown of the complex; the other was for a partial shutdown. Beatty's lawyers claim Delta has no experience in arts management. NPR requested comment from Delta and the Kennedy Center, but did not receive an immediate reply. Since last year, NPR has asked the Kennedy Center repeatedly about the experts consulted on this renovation project, but has never received a response. Elements of the Tuesday filing are under seal, including the building plans and the consultant's report. Separately on Tuesday, the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) – which is an anchor tenant at the Kennedy Center, and whose finances are deeply intertwined with the complex itself – announced its upcoming 2026-27 performance season. The orchestra will rotate its concerts between six different venues in the greater Washington, D.C. region. The NSO has fallen into a deep financial crisis amid a widespread Kennedy Center boycott by both artists and audiences, according to multiple NSO internal sources who are not authorized to speak publicly. The orchestra's money woes were first reported by The Washington Post. Venue switches can pose huge uphill battles for arts organizations, as they require audiences to put aside their performance-attending routines. In the case of the NSO, however, performances outside of the Kennedy Center at this point may prove more attractive to prospective concertgoers, even if the venue were to remain open during construction. Copyright 2026 NPR