WASHINGTON — The Kennedy Center board voted Thursday to inscribe President Donald Trump’s name on the building’s facade, less than three months after a federal judge ordered his previous lettering removed. The new Trump inscription would appear beneath the center’s existing name and credit him with restoring and renovating the landmark.

The wording may have changed, but the location has not. The vote sets up another legal confrontation over whether the board can place Trump’s name on the congressionally established memorial to President John F. Kennedy.

Board Approves a New Trump Inscription

The board approved language that would make the facade read, “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.” The trustees also voted to call the grounds the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”

The Washington Post reported that the board approved an additional provision tied to the Trump Kennedy Center Fund. If the fund reaches $100 million, another line would be added to the building stating, “Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.”

Trump chairs the Kennedy Center board, which is dominated by his appointees and allies. The resolution reportedly credits him with rescuing the institution from financial collapse and directs center officials to pursue “all legal means” of recognizing his contributions.

White House assistant press secretary Liz Huston praised Trump’s leadership following the vote. She said the Kennedy Center was on its way to becoming the “finest cultural institution anywhere in the world.”

A Judge Already Ruled on the Portico

The board previously voted in December 2025 to rename the institution the Trump Kennedy Center. Workers attached Trump’s name to the front portico the following day, placing it above Kennedy’s name.

Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who serves as an ex officio trustee, sued over the decision. She argued that the board had no authority to rename a national memorial whose name Congress established through federal law.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper agreed in May, ruling that “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.” His decision went further than the center’s formal title. Cooper wrote that no other individual could be memorialized on the building’s front portico.

The judge ordered the Kennedy Center to remove Trump’s name from the building and its official materials. Workers took down the lettering in June, and a federal appeals court later refused to restore it while the administration appeals Cooper’s ruling.

The naming fight has also affected the center’s relationship with performers. Jazz musician Chuck Redd canceled his annual Christmas Eve concert after Trump’s name was added. USA Herald recently reported that a D.C. judge ordered the Kennedy Center to pay Redd $252,479.70 in legal fees after its lawsuit against him was dismissed as unlawful retaliation.

Calling It an Inscription May Not Solve the Problem

The Kennedy Center board is no longer proposing to place Trump’s name inside the institution’s formal title. Instead, the new language would credit him for the renovation beneath the center’s legal name.

That distinction will likely form the center’s defense. However, it may not resolve the central problem Cooper identified: placing another person’s memorial on the front portico of a building Congress dedicated to Kennedy.

Federal law directs the board to prevent additional memorials or memorial-style plaques from being installed in the Kennedy Center’s public areas. Congress created limited exceptions for certain donor acknowledgments, including inscriptions on specified interior marble walls.

The law does not provide a similar exception for an inscription on the building’s exterior. Cooper also rejected the board’s earlier argument that Trump’s lettering did not qualify as a memorial.

No court has ruled on the revised inscription. Until that happens, it would be premature to declare that the new vote violates Cooper’s order. However, the language of his decision leaves the board with a significant legal obstacle.

Renovation Plan Returns With the Name Fight

During Thursday’s virtual meeting, the board also voted to close most of the Kennedy Center for approximately two years. The closure would allow work to proceed on a renovation project expected to cost roughly $250 million.

Cooper previously blocked an earlier closure vote after finding that trustees had not properly considered the consequences. He described that decision as “ill-informed and seemingly preordained,” but left the board free to reconsider after reviewing the available options.

Board members reportedly received extensive reports comparing a full closure with partial and phased construction. They ultimately selected the two-year closure, while leaving open the possibility of limited programming at the Reach, the center’s indoor-outdoor expansion.

The main building could reopen in summer 2028. Planned work includes structural repairs and upgrades to plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling and fire-safety systems.

The Dispute Is Headed Back to Court

Beatty called the inscription vote a “transparent effort to circumvent the Court’s ruling.” She promised to continue challenging the board’s actions.

The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to requests for comment reported by multiple news organizations. The administration is still appealing Cooper’s May ruling, and the revised inscription gives both sides a new issue to bring before him.

For now, Trump’s previous lettering remains off the Kennedy Center. His board has nevertheless approved a more permanent return, this time by proposing that his name be carved beneath Kennedy’s on the building’s marble facade.