Kennedy Center votes to restore Trump’s name to venue, close for two years

What the report says

The Kennedy Center board has voted to proceed with a two-year shutdown of the Washington, D.C., performing arts venue for major renovations and to restore Donald Trump’s name to the building, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting on Thursday. The decisions came amid continuing legal and political disputes over the center’s handling of the naming issue and its renovation plans.

Representative Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who sits on the board because of her congressional role, criticized both moves in a statement issued with her lawyers. She said the agenda item to put Trump’s name back on the facility and the choice to close the center were an effort to get around a court ruling and conflict with congressional authority. The source material says the board had previously voted to rename the venue after Trump and John F. Kennedy, which triggered controversy and legal challenges.

The article notes that a judge later ruled Trump’s name must be removed, saying Congress—not the board—had the power to change the name. In a separate ruling, the court also blocked an earlier planned closure. The board’s latest decision is likely to deepen the legal fights surrounding the Kennedy Center, which has been the subject of multiple disputes since Trump’s return to power, including a recent case involving a canceled performance by jazz musician Chuck Redd.