President Donald Trump’s efforts to name the Kennedy Center after himself and close the performing arts space for renovations were blocked by a federal judge on Friday.
Since the Kennedy Center was created by Congress, changing its name requires congressional approval, the judge ruled.
In December 2025, the Center’s Trump-appointed board voted to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump Kennedy Center, reflecting the president’s broader effort to exert influence over Washington’s cultural institutions. It happened despite lingering questions about its legality. The new signage read “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
Originally established by Congress in 1958 as an “artistic mecca” for the performing arts in the nation’s capital, the National Cultural Center was officially renamed in memory of President John F. Kennedy after his assassination in 1963.
Since its opening in 1971, the center has hosted the Kennedy Center Honors and a range of events and exhibits across genres.
Here’s a brief overview of how the Center came to be and its changes under Trump’s leadership so far.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Cultural Center Act in 1958, establishing what would become the Kennedy Center.
Originally named the National Cultural Center, the act authorized construction of the building and established it as an independent institution with a mission to host arts and cultural events and educational programming.
President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis led the $30 million fundraising campaign for its construction.
Kennedy Onassis and Mamie Eisenhower served as honorary co-chairwomen of the project.
After Kennedy’s assassination, President Lyndon Johnson signed legislation renaming it the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
President Lyndon Johnson signed the John F. Kennedy Center Act in January 1964 to change the name and provide $23 million in federal funds for its construction.
After signing the bill, Johnson handed the pen to Edward Kennedy, John F. Kennedy’s brother.
“As this center comes to reflect and advance the greatness of America, consider then those glories were purchased by a valiant leader who never swerved from duty — John Kennedy. And in his name I dedicate this site,” Johnson said at the groundbreaking ceremony, held in December 1964.
The Kennedy Center opened on September 8, 1971.
Designed by architect Edward Durell Stone, the Kennedy Center was built on the banks of the Potomac River using 3,700 tons of marble gifted to the US from Italy.
For its opening event, the Kennedy Center hosted a performance of “Mass” by Leonard Bernstein, which was commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
The first Kennedy Center Honors, an award ceremony honoring artistic contributions to American life and culture, took place in 1978.
The first Kennedy Center honorees included Fred Astaire, Marian Anderson, George Balanchine, Arthur Rubinstein, and Richard Rodgers.
The Kennedy Center has hosted iconic performances and honored legendary artists with its distinctive rainbow ribbon medallions.
Beyoncé brought the Kennedy Center to its feet with a fiery tribute to Tina Turner in 2005, and President Barack Obama shed tears as he watched Aretha Franklin perform “Natural Woman” to honor Carole King in 2015.
President Donald Trump has implemented sweeping changes to the Kennedy Center, encompassing the board of trustees and the design of the medallions.
Trump did not attend the Kennedy Center Honors during his first term, but has taken a much more active role in shaping the institution in his second non-consecutive term.
After taking office earlier this year, he fired the president and Biden-appointed members of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees, replacing them with allies and members of his administration. The board then elected Trump as its chairman.
While visiting the performance venue in March, Trump told board members that the building was in “bad shape” and said he planned to renovate the space.
“We’re going to make a lot of changes, including the seats, the décor, pretty much everything needs a lot of work,” he said.
At the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, held on December 7, honorees received newly designed medallions from Tiffany, featuring blue ribbons instead of the traditional rainbow colors.
The biggest change occurred in December, when the Trump-appointed board of trustees voted to rename the center the Trump Kennedy Center.
In December, the White House announced that the board had “unanimously” voted to rename the Kennedy Center the Trump Kennedy Center, and the website was updated to reflect the change.
Trump’s name was added to the building’s signage on December 19, reading “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
“The unanimous vote recognizes that the current Chairman saved the institution from financial ruin and physical destruction,” Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president of public relations, said in a statement to Business Insider. “The new Trump Kennedy Center reflects the unequivocal bipartisan support for America’s cultural center for generations to come.”
Trump said he was “honored,” while Democratic lawmakers and members of the Kennedy family criticized the president.
Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, contested the White House’s claim of a unanimous vote, writing on X that “microphones were muted and the board meeting and vote NOT unanimous,” while Kennedy’s niece, Maria Shriver, wrote on X that the change is not acceptable.
Six Democratic lawmakers said in a statement that Trump was “attempting to affix his name to yet another public institution without legal authority.”
In February, Trump announced that the Kennedy Center would close for two years for renovations, starting in July.
Trump announced in a Truth Social post that the center will be closed for renovations for two years, starting July 4.
Trump also called the Center “tired, broken, and dilapidated,” and said that the administration consulted with contractors, music experts, art institutions, and other advisors and consultants to review the building.
In his post, Trump said the period of closure would involve a complete rebuilding of the Center, to make it “the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World.”
Representatives for the White House did not respond to queries from Business Insider asking how much the project would cost.
In May, a federal judge ruled that the Kennedy Center’s name change and planned closure were both unlawful.
As part of a lawsuit brought by Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, who serves as an ex officio Kennedy Center member, Judge Christopher R. Cooper wrote in his ruling that “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” and ordered that Trump’s name be removed from the building and other materials.
Cooper also wrote in his ruling that Kennedy Center board members did not have “sufficient information” to “make a well-considered decision” before they voted to close the Center for two years and ordered it to remain open.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
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