Kennedy Center board votes to close for renovations after judge blocks efforts to add Trump’s name
The Kennedy Center’s board of trustees voted Tuesday to close down the performing arts center as the facility undergoes renovations.
The center’s members argued the institution is in “dire” financial and structural shape.
Federal judge blocks Trump’s name from being added
The vote comes shortly after a federal judge blocked the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees from placing President Donald Trump’s name on the performing arts center, something the board said could boost revenue in the face of closure.
Judge Christopher Cooper wrote in his ruling that the board couldn’t install “memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else” on the center without Congress’ approval, according to The Associated Press.
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In August, the board voted to add Trump’s name on the center’s outside walls so it read, “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.”
In May, Cooper previously ruled that only Congress can approve changes to the center’s name. But the board filed an emergency hearing in August, arguing it was no longer trying to rename the building but only to recognize Trump’s efforts to secure renovation funding.
The center’s board said it may soon be unable to make payroll or pay routine maintenance contracts because of the lack of funding. They argue if they put Trump’s name back on the building, he’ll likely help raise the money the center needs to stay open.
Center officials say Trump, who chairs the board, has “offered to step in and raise the necessary funds” to keep the Kennedy Center going but not without the “proper recognition.”