Kennedy Center closes amid financial crisis and Trump name dispute

The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, is closing its doors after its board voted to shut the historic performing arts venue amid a severe financial crisis and an ongoing legal dispute over US President Donald Trump's name.

The decision came hours after US District Judge Casey Cooper blocked the latest attempt by the center's board to add Trump's name to the building.

The closure marks a new escalation in a months-long dispute involving the Trump administration, the Kennedy Center board and the courts over control of the institution and its future.

Cooper ruled on Tuesday that a proposed inscription reading "restored and renovated by President Donald J Trump" beneath the existing Kennedy Center signage would violate an earlier court order preventing the board from renaming the venue.

"Simply put, defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress's blessing," Cooper wrote in his decision.

The ruling represents another legal setback for the board, which has repeatedly attempted to incorporate Trump's name into the identity of the institution.

Trump criticised the decision and defended the board's decision to close the venue, saying the closure was being carried out for safety reasons.

He also argued that renovation work should not proceed unless his name was added to the building.

Trump has claimed the Kennedy Center is in serious financial difficulty and said he has the resources and ability to raise money and oversee construction needed to restore the venue.

The president's name was first added to the building in December 2025. Cooper ruled in May that the change was unlawful and ordered the name removed.

The board complied with the order, although tarps and scaffolding have continued to cover the area where the additional signage had been installed.

The latest court ruling was welcomed by Democratic Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board who challenged changes made under the Trump administration.

Her legal representatives said the ruling reaffirmed that the president was not above the law.

Beatty accused Trump of holding the Kennedy Center "hostage" and said the law clearly establishes that the institution is named for former President John F Kennedy.

The dispute comes as the Kennedy Center faces mounting financial pressure.

Reports have indicated that the institution is approaching bankruptcy and could face severe consequences without additional funding.

Trustees have argued that placing Trump's name on the building could help secure the financial support required to prevent what they described as a potentially catastrophic fiscal collapse.

Trump has suggested that further action could follow the latest court decision, although he has not provided details.

He has also expressed frustration with the length of the legal dispute, arguing that months have been lost while the Kennedy Center's financial position has deteriorated.

The closure now leaves the future of one of the United States' most prominent cultural institutions uncertain, while the legal battle over its name and control continues.