The Kennedy Center board voted Thursday to rename the area surrounding the famed Washington performing arts complex “President Donald J. Trump Plaza,” while also approving plans to put President Trump’s name back on the building following an earlier court battle.
Trump allies on the board approved the changes during a meeting lasting more than two hours. Democratic lawmakers on the board objected to the plans, which come as Trump pushes ahead with a massive renovation of the aging cultural institution.
Trump, who serves as chairman of the Kennedy Center board, participated virtually during part of the meeting. The president defended his plans to spend roughly $250 million renovating the facility, which first opened in 1971 and is expected to undergo extensive repairs and modernization.
The project will require the Kennedy Center’s main building to close for approximately two years. However, performances are expected to continue at The Reach, a newer portion of the Kennedy Center complex that opened in 2019.
The board also approved a new way of displaying Trump’s name on the building. Rather than renaming the entire Kennedy Center after the president, signage beneath the existing name is planned to read, “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.”
The change follows an earlier legal battle over an attempt to rename the facility the “Trump Kennedy Center.” The board approved that name in December 2025, but U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper later ordered Trump’s name removed after determining that the change lacked the required congressional approval.
The latest proposal appears designed differently from the previous renaming effort. Instead of replacing the Kennedy Center’s congressionally established name, Trump’s name would recognize his role in restoring and renovating the building, while the surrounding plaza would separately carry his name.
Democrats immediately attacked the decision. Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio accused the board of attempting to circumvent the previous court ruling and argued that the latest action conflicts with laws passed by Congress governing the Kennedy Center.
Trump appointee Paolo Zampolli defended the changes and pushed back against criticism of the planned closure. He argued that people complaining about the project should inspect the aging facility themselves and said major repairs are necessary to bring the Kennedy Center up to modern standards.
The White House similarly praised the project, arguing that Trump’s leadership is putting the Kennedy Center on course to become one of the world’s premier cultural institutions. The administration has made restoring and reshaping the center a prominent part of Trump’s second-term cultural agenda.
The result is another major transformation for one of Washington’s best-known landmarks. While the legal fight prevented the entire institution from being renamed for Trump, the board is moving ahead with “President Donald J. Trump Plaza” and plans to permanently recognize the president’s role in the Kennedy Center’s $250 million renovation.
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