Kennedy Center votes to restore Trump’s name to venue, close for two years

The Kennedy Center board has voted to move forward with a two-year closure of the centre and re-add Donald Trump’s name to the historic performing arts building, according to officials, about three months after a court ordered that the US president’s name be removed.

Representative Joyce Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio who is a board member through her leadership position in Congress, and her lawyers issued a statement on Thursday condemning the moves.

“This morning’s decision to close the Center and the surprise agenda item to put Donald Trump’s name back on the building was more of the same,” said Beatty.

“This latest development is a transparent effort to circumvent the Court’s ruling, and flies in the face of the statutes that Congress passed,” Beatty said. “I will continue to fight for this treasured national monument.”

Last year, the board voted to rename the venue the “Donald J Trump and John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts”, sparking national controversy and legal battles. A judge ordered Trump’s name be removed, ruling Congress, not the board, had sole authority in changing the name.

After a contentious legal back-and-forth in May, the judge ordered the name removed and, at the same time, blocked a closure set to take effect on July 5, saying that an earlier board vote endorsing the move was “ill-informed and seemingly preordained”.

The decision to fully shut down the centre was the most extreme of three approaches considered. Other options, which would have also allowed for a partial closure lasting four years or phased closures focusing on major repairs, were presented to the board.

The Kennedy Center’s recent decisions are likely to create even more legal woes for the historic venue, which has been mired in lawsuits since Trump’s return to power.