The Kennedy Center board voted Thursday to rename the area around the performing arts center the "President Donald J. Trump Plaza." They also approved adding President Trump's name back onto the building's facade. This action comes after a federal judge ordered the removal of his name previously. The board moved to install the new signage beneath the existing main hall text.
President Trump chairs the board and joined the meeting virtually. He pushed for the changes while critics objected to the plan. A $250 million renovation, which will shut the main building for two years, received board approval. Per reports, the changes were pushed through during a meeting lasting over two hours.
Democrats on the board spoke out against the move. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Representative Joyce Beatty voiced strong opposition. Beatty called the decision a transparent effort to circumvent the court ruling. She argued it flies in the face of statutes passed by Congress.
🚨 NOW: The Trump-Kennedy Center Board has just voted to GREENLIGHT Donald Trump's renovations, and to place his name on the performing arts center — despite an activist judge trying to block it
Good! Trump is fully restoring it, the man deserves it 🔥
The sign would read: "The… pic.twitter.com/Uizq6wf5yC
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 13, 2026
Paolo Zampolli, a presidential appointee, defended the closure and the name change. He told critics they should walk the building to see the need for repairs. "I call on everyone who is complaining about what we're doing to go walk the building," Zampolli said. He noted they are not closing the whole center, just the main building.
Shows will continue in the $300 million structure called the Reach. Zampolli dismissed the opposition as ignorant of necessary improvements. This phrasing avoids the direct name change a judge blocked last year.
White House spokesperson Liz Huston praised the board's direction. She stated that this center is heading toward becoming the finest cultural institution anywhere in the world. Her statement highlighted the bold leadership of President Trump. Last December, the board voted to rebrand it as the "Trump Kennedy Center," yet a judge halted that specific change.
In addition to trying to re-scrawl his name on the Kennedy Center facade by adding “Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump,” Trump's trying to rename the physical site “the President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”
Opposing attys' statement below. (Wash Litig Grp & @DDFund_) pic.twitter.com/JMEoaKjJ0x— Roger Parloff (@rparloff) August 13, 2026
The board's latest plan aims to work around the previous court order. Judge Christopher Cooper previously ruled that the name change lacked congressional ratification. Democrats say this new plan still tries to bypass the law. Beatty's statement called the agenda item a surprise move by Trump's allies.
RedState reported that the board approved the renovations despite the legal hurdles. The source noted that an activist judge will likely try to intervene again. The board seems determined to proceed with the $250 million refresh.