The Kennedy Center board voted Tuesday to shut down the iconic Washington, D.C. performing arts venue. The decision follows a bitter legal dispute over the use of President Donald Trump's name on the building. Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick attended the board meeting, according to people familiar with the closed session. Lutnick's wife, Allison, sits on the Trump-appointed board.
Federal Judge Christopher Cooper blocked the board earlier this month from adding Trump's name to the structure. Cooper ruled that only Congress can approve changes to the Kennedy Center's name. The board responded by erecting a tarp to obscure Trump's name. They then floated alternative inscriptions, such as "Renovation and endowment overseen by President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Kennedy Center Fund." Cooper called these maneuvers "word games" in his Tuesday ruling.
The board argues the building is on the verge of insolvency and needs urgent physical repairs. They claim Trump's financial support is conditional on his name being officially recognized. "Is it possible to turn down the temperature a little bit?" Cooper asked during a scheduling hearing, urging both sides to find a mediated solution. The board's vote effectively ignored that plea.
Trump reacted on social media shortly after the vote. He claimed the closure was necessary for public safety and tied the project's survival to the naming issue. "The Renovation and Reconstruction... cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board's approved name," he wrote. "If the ruling is a negative one... the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place." The next step rests with the D.C. Circuit Court, which must decide the legal fate of the name change.