Trump Says Kennedy Center Board Voted to Close Building, Ties Rebuild to Court Ruling

ByRichard Miniter

First Published: September 15, 2026, 3:10 PM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump said the board of the Kennedy Center, the federally chartered performing arts venue on the Potomac River in Washington, voted almost unanimously to close the building immediately for safety reasons. Trump tied the venue’s reconstruction to a pending court fight over its name, warning the renovation would not happen if courts reject the board’s approved title. He said $17 million he raised now sits in the center’s account to keep it operating during the dispute.

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “The Board of The Kennedy Center today agreed, almost unanimously, to close the Building for Safety reasons, and so that it can begin the process of Reconstruction. The closing will take place immediately, however, the Renovation and Reconstruction, which is a very large and complex job, cannot begin until such Time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board’s approved name. If the ruling is a negative one, which it should not be, and is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place. The attorneys from the DOJ will ask for an expedited appeal. In the meantime, 17 Million Dollars, raised by President Trump, has been put into The Kennedy Center account to keep it afloat. Thank you for your attention to this matter! Trump” on September 15, 2026 at 2:54 PM ET.

This is Trump’s fifth message released today, and the last post came one hour ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 35 of his 583 posts over the last 30 days classified as Legal posts.

A federal judge ruled in late May that the venue in central Washington cannot be renamed without congressional approval, according to bbc. The same judge also blocked the center’s temporary closure during proposed renovations, according to bbc. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered May 29 that physical and digital signage bearing Trump’s name come down within 14 days, responding to a challenge to the renaming brought by Rep.Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex-officio member of the board, according to spectrumlocalnews. A federal judge later denied a Justice Department request to pause that ruling, according to spectrumlocalnews.

47th President of the United States Donald J. Trump announced the Kennedy Center board voted to close the building for safety reasons at Washington D.C.

Joyce N. Boghosian / The White House

© copyright Flickr with permission

Crews took Trump’s name off the front of the building in June after erecting scaffolding and hanging plastic sheeting to obscure the removal of the letters, according to bbc. In February 2025, Trump replaced several trustees on the center’s board and appointed himself as a trustee before the board voted him in as chairman, according to bbc. A panel of D.C. Circuit appeals court judges then rejected a request by Trump and fellow board members to stay the lower court’s order, finding officials had failed to show how they would be irreparably injured absent a stay, according to abcnews. The panel also rejected the argument that removing the name could harm fundraising and worsen the center’s financial decline, saying members failed to support the claim with specific facts, according to abcnews.

The board later voted to inscribe Trump’s name on the facade to read “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By Trump,” according to ctvnews.ca. A proposed resolution stated that without such recognition it was unlikely Trump would oversee the renovation and lead the fiscal rescue of the center, according to ctvnews.ca.

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