Kennedy Center board votes to add Trump inscription and close for renovations

The Kennedy Center board has voted to close the performing arts institution for two years of renovations and approved plans to add an inscription recognizing President Donald Trump, according to people briefed on the decision.

The board voted Thursday to add an inscription below the Kennedy Center's existing sign stating that the arts complex was "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump."

The board also voted to keep the REACH, a separate portion of the complex, open during the renovations for smaller-scale performances.

The Kennedy Center must provide a federal judge with information about the planned closure and renovations by August 18.

The center has been at the center of a legal battle since Trump moved to take greater control of the institution during his second term. In December, the board voted to rename the venue the "Trump Kennedy Center."

However, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., blocked the planned closure in May and ruled that the board had violated the law when it added Trump's name to the performing arts center.

U.S. District Judge Casey Cooper wrote that federal law makes clear the center is to be named for President John F. Kennedy and that the board could not unilaterally give it another formal name.

Trump's name was subsequently removed from the building's facade in June following the court order.

One source said the new inscription is not intended to rename the center, while another described it as a permanent reminder of Trump's influence on the institution.

Nathaniel Zelinsky, an attorney representing Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and Kennedy Center trustee who challenged the name change, called the latest move an attempt to evade the court's ruling.

The Kennedy Center has also faced declining ticket sales, artist withdrawals, political controversies and staffing reductions.

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