Judge rejects bid to put Trump’s name on Kennedy Center building – BBC News
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Trump’s name must stay off Kennedy Center building, judge rules
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Figure caption: Watch: President Trump’s name added to facade of Kennedy Center
By Nardine Saad
Published 15 September 2026, 18:53 BST
Updated 25 minutes ago
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In May, the same judge ordered the removal of Trump’s name and blocked its temporary closure for proposed renovations.
The Kennedy Center board has voted to close the performing arts centre for two years, just as a US judge blocked it from adding President Donald Trump’s name back to the building.
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Trump announced the addition of his name to the institution, among other rebranding measures across the nation’s capital, last year.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the board voted "almost unanimously" to close the storied venue "for safety reasons" and to begin the process of reconstruction. While the closing "will take place immediately", Trump said renovations cannot begin until the court "rules on the Board’s approved name" and vowed to take the case to the Supreme Court if it is a "negative" ruling.
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Also in August, the board approved a resolution to rename the campus the "President Donald J. Trump Plaza" if $100m was raised for the renovations.
The judge’s written order came less than an hour before the centre’s board voted on the closure. This was the third time it has approved closing the centre since February, amid legal challenges to Trump’s work to take greater control of the institution and memorial.
