From Variety · Todd Spangler · · 1m 30s
Kennedy Center Goes Dark
Hours after a judge blocked Trump's name from the building, the board voted to close it immediately.
In brief
Hours after a judge blocked Trump's name from the building, the board voted to close it immediately. A court told Trump he could not put his name on the Kennedy Center, and the board responded by shutting the building down that same day. Originally reported by Variety.
A judge says no, again
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Kennedy Center is legally barred from adding Trump's name to the building. It is not the first time a court has blocked the move.
The board votes to close
Shortly after the ruling, the Kennedy Center board voted to shut the performing arts center down. Trump said the vote was close to unanimous.
“almost unanimously, to close the Building for Safety reasons”
Safety is the stated reason
Trump said the closure was for safety reasons, not as a response to the court. No specific hazard was named in his account of the vote.
Reconstruction is the plan
The stated point of closing is to start what Trump called a process of reconstruction. The scope, cost and timeline of that work were not spelled out.
“so that it can begin the process of Reconstruction”
It happens immediately
Trump said the closing takes effect right away. That leaves the country's flagship performing arts venue dark with no announced reopening date.
Announced on Truth Social
The news came from a Trump post on Truth Social rather than a statement from the Kennedy Center itself, which is how the vote reached the public.
Here's the gist
A court told Trump he could not put his name on the Kennedy Center, and the board responded by shutting the building down that same day.
