# Trump escalates Kennedy Center name fight

> A judge blocked Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center facade, and Trump answered with a threat to keep the building closed.
- Title: Trump escalates Kennedy Center name fight · Malay Mail
- Summary: A judge blocked Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center facade, and Trump answered with a threat to keep the building closed. The Kennedy Center fight now turns…
- Keywords: donald trump, kennedy center, john f. kennedy, christopher cooper, washington dc, federal court, name change, renovation fight, congress approval, ticket sales, news, world
- Source: Malay Mail — https://malaymail.com/news/world/2026/09/16/trump-threatens-to-shut-kennedy-center-for-good-after-judge-blocks-name-change/235345
- Published: 2026-09-16T08:39:17+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: donald trump, kennedy center, john f. kennedy, christopher cooper, washington dc, federal court, name change, renovation fight, congress approval, ticket sales, news, world
## Trump threatens closure
Donald Trump said the Kennedy Center could stay closed for good after a judge ruled his name cannot be added to the arts venue’s facade.

> keep the Kennedy Center closed for good
## Board votes shutdown
Trump said his chosen board voted almost unanimously to close the Washington venue at once for emergency renovations.

> almost unanimously
## Repairs tied to ruling
Trump said the building’s repairs will not start unless a higher court allows the center to be renamed after him.

> the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place
## Center cites safety
The Kennedy Center told AFP the closure decision put safety first, framing the shutdown as a response to building risks.

> a clear prioritization of safety above all else
## Trump took control
Early in his second term, Trump made himself chairman of the center, named for John F. Kennedy, the Democratic president assassinated in 1963.
## Judge blocks renaming
Judge Christopher Cooper again ruled that Trump’s name cannot go back on the exterior, saying the board tried to work around his earlier order.

> cannot install memorials for President Trump
## Congress must approve
Cooper said the board needs Congress’s blessing before adding a memorial name for Trump or anyone else at the Kennedy Center.

> without Congress’s blessing
## Branding push expands
The Kennedy Center fight sits alongside other Trump-backed changes in Washington, including a planned arch and a White House ballroom.
## Safety claims intensify
Trump pointed to a ceiling piece that fell after a storm and warned people could have died if the building had been open.

> innocent people would have been killed
## Artists and sales fall
Artists canceled shows after Trump’s takeover, while US media reported a sharp drop in Kennedy Center ticket sales.

> ticket sales have plummeted
## Key takeaway

The Kennedy Center fight now turns on whether courts allow Trump’s name on the building, while the venue cites safety and repair concerns.