Washington: The board of the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC has voted to add President Donald Trump’s name back to the facade of the performing arts venue, just two months after a federal judge ordered its removal.
The board, which includes several Trump allies, voted to add the wording ‘Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump’ to the centre’s formal name, according to Democratic Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, who serves on the board.
Beatty criticised the decision, describing it as an attempt to bypass the court ruling and congressional authority over the institution’s name. “This latest development is a transparent effort to circumvent the court’s ruling,” Beatty said, adding that she would continue to oppose the move.
The latest vote comes after US District Court Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in May that Trump’s name had been added to the Kennedy Centre unlawfully. The judge said the institution, which Congress designated as a memorial to former President John F Kennedy, cannot be renamed without congressional approval.
The Trump name was subsequently removed from the building last month after an appeals court declined to immediately intervene. The Trump administration had previously argued that removing the name could create confusion if a higher court later overturned the ruling.
The Kennedy Centre board also voted to move forward with a planned two-year closure of the venue for renovations, despite the project having previously been blocked by a federal judge.
Trump announced the addition of his name to the cultural institution as part of a broader rebranding effort in Washington. In February 2025, he replaced several Kennedy Centre trustees, appointed himself as a trustee and was later elected chairman of the board.
The White House defended the latest development, saying that under Trump’s leadership, the Kennedy Centre was on course to become a leading cultural institution. The dispute over the venue’s name remains part of a wider legal and political battle over control of the Kennedy Centre and the limits of presidential authority over the federally designated memorial.
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