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Kennedy Center board votes to add Trump's name, approve two-year closure

cultureAug 14, 2026461,533

On August 13, 2026, the Kennedy Center board voted to inscribe “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump” below the venue’s main sign and to close most of the main building for a two-year, $250 million renovation. The board approved the inscription in a 20-3 vote and also voted for a second time to shut the Washington, D.C., arts complex’s main campus for the work. A federal judge had previously ordered Trump’s name removed from the Kennedy Center facade, and the board’s move to add the new inscription is an explicit test of that court order. The decision follows a reshaping of the board that critics say was effected by Trump-aligned trustees; Trump is identified in posts as the board’s chair. Media outlets and legal observers expect renewed litigation challenging the inscription and the planned closure, setting up another court confrontation over the institution’s name and control of the renovation. The board’s action also formally renames the surrounding location as “President Donald J. Trump Plaza,” a step likely to be contested in court.

LA Blue Dot in GA 🌊🐸
@namwella1961.bsky.social

Forbes: The Kennedy Center board voted to add this inscription: “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump,” below the venue’s main sign, which tests a judge’s order to remove Trump’s name from the facade. The Kennedy Center, bc Trump's ass can't kiss itself. #ProudBlue #Pinks #SheShed

32644d ago
Scott MacFarlane
@macfarlanenews.bsky.social

NEW: Another defeat looming for Team Trump at Kennedy Center Relief incoming for USS Abraham Lincoln servicemembers New probe into Trump Admin's "luxury jet" purchases Lots of new reporting in my DAY AHEAD editorial note macfarlanenews.substack.com/p/day-ahead-...

39845d ago
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