Kennedy Center Board Votes to Carve Trump's Name Into the Building's Marble Facade

H1: Kennedy Center Board Votes to Carve Trump's Name Into the Building's Marble Facade

The decision appears to be aimed at circumventing a federal judge's order to remove separate signage bearing the president's name. The Kennedy Center's board voted Thursday to carve President Donald Trump's name into the storied building's white marble facade and proceed with a lengthy shutdown of the venue to accommodate an extensive renovation project, according to multiple reports. The decision comes just months after a judge ruled that separate signage bearing the president's name had to be taken off the building's marquee. The new inscription will test the order, though due to ongoing litigation the judge has the power to delay the project. The board, which Trump fired en masse last year and restocked with allies, also voted to shut down the building to accommodate a $250 million construction project. The president announced the renovations in February and said the center would need to close for two years. The board voted to close the center's main building. The Reach, a newer expansion to the facility, will remain open for limited events. It will also serve as a memorial to former President John F. Kennedy. An outside consulting firm concluded that keeping the main building open during the construction project would be significantly more expensive. The board reviewed a 163-page plan for the $250 million renovation project ahead of the meeting, according to the Times. The new inscription, which is set to read "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump," will be placed under the marquee bearing President John F. Kennedy's name, according to The New York Times. Trump's handpicked board had initially sought to rebrand the center and place his name on top of Kennedy's, dubbing the institution the "Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts." Trump's push to renovate the Kennedy Center — including affixing his name to the front marble exterior — has launched several monthslong court battles and prompted congressional scrutiny over funding for the renovations. Due to ongoing litigation about the proposed renovation, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper has the power to review and potentially delay the board's decision. Cooper issued an opinion in May that blocked the proposed renovation project in response to a lawsuit filed by Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex officio member of the center's board. Cooper ruled that the board had been "derelict" by neglecting the potential impact the renovation could have on the programming at the center. Trump railed against Cooper's decision at the time, calling him a "Highly Conflicted, Crooked Federal Judge" and saying the Kennedy Center is "broken, unsafe, and busted," in a post on Truth Social in May. Following Thursday's meeting, Beatty lashed out at the Kennedy Center board members who greenlit the changes. "This morning's decision to close the Center and the surprise agenda item to put Donald Trump's name back on the building was more of the same," Beatty wrote in a statement following the meeting. "This latest development is a transparent effort to circumvent the Court's ruling, and flies in the face of the statutes that Congress passed. I will continue to fight for this treasured national monument."