Trump-aligned board faces pressure after court ruling on earlier vote
The Kennedy Center’s board is expected to meet Thursday to consider plans for the performing arts venue’s future, after a federal judge blocked an earlier move for a two-year closure that would allow for substantial renovations.
Ahead of the meeting, the Kennedy Center’s management said it would present the board with three approaches for consideration. The options would include a complete closure or a partial closure that would allow “some continued public access and limited programming in spaces unaffected” by the work. A third option would “consider a highly limited series of phased closures to address only the Center’s most serious infrastructure needs while scheduling and maintaining a full slate of programming.”
In blocking earlier plans for closure, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the board’s March 16 vote backing the move appeared “ill-informed and seemingly preordained.” As the board, which is largely made up of President Donald Trump’s allies, moves forward, it may face pressure to prove it has thoroughly considered its options.
Since Trump returned to office in January 2025, the Kennedy Center has had changes to its leadership and public identity. He largely ignored the institution during his first round in Washington but moved quickly to oust the institution’s leadership when he returned to office in January 2025, replacing it with a board of trustees that named him chairman. His name was quickly added to the building — a move that Cooper also declared illegal.
Trump’s name came down from the building in June, but the area where it once stood is now covered by a massive tarp. Cooper has asked the Kennedy Center for updates on how long the tarp is expected to stay in place.