Kennedy Center board restores Trump's name, testing judge
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Add Axios on Google The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. Photographer: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Kennedy Center board voted Thursday to again add President Trump's name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, two anonymous sources told Axios.
Why it matters: The move challenges a federal judge's ruling back in May that only Congress could change the name of the performing arts venue, and that Trump's name must be removed . That process was completed in June.
Zoom in: Thursday's vote won't make Trump's name part of the complex. Instead, an inscription will go below the Kennedy Center sign that reads "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump," and the physical site will be renamed "the President Donald J. Trump Plaza."
Zoom out: The board also voted Thursday to move forward with a two-year closure of the center's main venue for renovations, despite Cooper temporarily blocking plans to shut it down.
What they're saying: "Under President Trump's bold leadership, the Kennedy Center is on its way to becoming the finest cultural institution anywhere in the world," White House spokesperson Liz Huston told Axios.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional context throughout.
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