A man walks past the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on the day the center's board voted to inscribe "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump" onto the building, in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 13, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The Kennedy Center board voted Thursday to inscribe "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump" beneath the venue's main signage.
Adding the president's name back to the facade would directly circumvent a federal law banning new memorials or plaques at the performing arts center, The New York Times reported.
According to MS NOW, the resolution states, "The center desires to recognize and honor President Trump's existential and unprecedented contributions to the survival of the center by all legal means."
The move represents an end-run around a federal court order, where U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper previously ruled that only Congress has authority to rename the institution, forcing the center to remove Trump's name in June.
The board also voted to shutter the main building for two years of renovations, a plan Trump originally proposed in February.
Both decisions now face scrutiny from Judge Cooper, who previously blocked a closure attempt after finding the board's vote "ill-informed and seemingly preordained."
The resolution claims Trump made "existential and unprecedented contributions to the survival of the center."
Critics reacted swiftly, with former CNN correspondent Jim Acosta calling it "insanity" on social media and former "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd questioning Trump's self-esteem.
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