The Kennedy Center is headed for an uncertain shutdown after its Trump-appointed board voted Tuesday to close the main building for repairs and renovations — just hours after a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s name from being placed back on the iconic Washington performing arts center.
The dramatic decision followed what multiple reports described as an angry, profanity-laced phone call from Trump to members of the Kennedy Center board. According to The Daily Beast and The New Republic, Trump erupted over the court ruling, directing much of his anger toward Rep. Joyce Beatty, whose lawsuit challenged the effort to put his name on the building.
Trump says renovations ‘will not take place’ unless his name is on the building.
The board ultimately voted to close the main building, citing serious structural problems and the need for extensive renovations. Kennedy Center officials have pointed to water intrusion, deteriorating infrastructure and a recent incident in which ceiling debris reportedly fell in the Grand Foyer. The board says immediate repairs are necessary to protect visitors and employees.
“The closing will take place immediately, however, the Renovation and Reconstruction, which is a very large and complex job, cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board’s approved name. If the ruling is a negative one, which it should not be, and is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place,” Trump ranted on social media.
But the timing has fueled a bitter political and legal fight.
Earlier Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that Trump’s name cannot be added to the Kennedy Center without approval from Congress. The judge has previously ruled that Congress has the authority to change the name of the federally designated memorial to John F. Kennedy.
Cue Trump who attacked the judge as “hostile and conflicted,” ranted that the building is “destined to doom,” and raged, “Time is our Enemy!”
Trump has argued that his involvement and fundraising are essential to saving the financially troubled institution. Critics, including Beatty and her attorneys, contend that the administration is tying the center’s future to Trump’s personal recognition.
“The law is extremely clear: The John F. Kennedy Center is named for President Kennedy—and no one else. But President Trump is holding the Kennedy Center hostage unless he can put his name on this sacred memorial,” Beatty responded to the ruling. “The Court just rejected this proposal for the second time. This unlawfulness is as breathtaking as it is wrong, and it needs to stop.”
The Kennedy Center board says the facility faces both a ‘financial crisis and urgent physical deterioration.’ The center’s REACH building and some programming at outside venues are expected to continue, even as the future of the main building remains uncertain.
For an institution created as a national memorial to President Kennedy, to have Trump treat it like a political football – threatening not to fund repairs unless it has his name on it — is a tragedy.