# Trump's board just shut the Kennedy Center

> Hours after a judge blocked the renaming, trustees voted to close the Kennedy Center outright, and the president reportedly screamed at a congresswoman on the call.
- Title: Trump's board just shut the Kennedy Center · Dailymail
- Summary: Hours after a judge blocked the renaming, trustees voted to close the Kennedy Center outright, and the president reportedly screamed at a congresswoman on…
- Keywords: kennedy center, trump, courts, arts funding, washington dc, news, entertainment, Trump's, board, just, shut, Kennedy
- Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/news/article-16134015/Trumps-board-shutters-Kennedy-Center.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss
- Published: 2026-09-15T18:49:35+00:00
- Read time: 3 min
- Topics: kennedy center, trump, courts, arts funding, washington dc, news, entertainment
## The board voted to close
On Tuesday, the leadership panel Trump appointed at the Kennedy Center voted to shut down the performing arts venue, effective immediately.
## Dire money, failing building
Trustees justified the shutdown by declaring the landmark had fallen into financial ruin and physical decay, a combination they called dire.

> 'dire' financial ruin and physical decay
## Hours after a court loss
The vote came just hours after a DC federal judge blocked the board's plan to rebrand the building with Trump's name.
## Renaming as a rescue plan
The board had argued that putting Trump's name on the building was essential, the thing standing between the center and imminent bankruptcy.
## A ceiling came down
Leadership pointed to a partial ceiling collapse in the main Grand Foyer earlier this month as proof that emergency structural work could not wait.
## Trump screamed on the call
Sources told CNN the president screamed at Democratic Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, a fellow panel member, during a call before the vote.
## He blamed Beatty
People on the call said Trump held Beatty responsible for the center's downfall because she brought the dispute into the courts.
## Unsafe to occupy
A draft resolution said the center's top director and a structural consultant both judged the main building unsafe for continued occupancy.

> consider the main building to be unsafe for continued occupancy
## Risk to public and staff
The same document warned of further danger to visitors and employees if the building was not closed immediately and renovations started.

> anticipate further risk to the public and employees if the building is not immediately closed
## A two-year blackout
The proposed resolution laid out a shutdown lasting two years, long enough to wipe out multiple full seasons of programming.
## Third try since February
This is the third time since February that the board has pushed to close the landmark for a two-year overhaul.
## July 5 came and went
Trustees originally set the shutdown for July 5, but the legal fights stalled those plans completely.
## Litigation as the excuse
Lawyers for the board argued the ongoing court battles had crippled their ability to carry out necessary maintenance on the building.
## The judge pushed back
At Tuesday's hearing the judge reminded the board, as he had in earlier rulings, that his order against a full lockdown specifically exempted emergency repairs.
## Trump dialed in
A source familiar with the private meeting said board chairman Trump joined virtually and spent several minutes taking jabs at Beatty and the judge.
## Payroll runs out in weeks
A court filing claimed the center's finances are so precarious it cannot cover payroll or routine maintenance contracts within a matter of weeks.

> will not be able to support its payroll obligations, nor routine maintenance contracts within a matter of weeks
## Trump offers to fundraise
The same filing said the president has offered to step in and raise the money needed to keep the center out of bankruptcy.

> President Trump has offered to step in and raise the necessary funds to keep the Center from bankruptcy.
## Trump Plaza, by September 8
Last month the board voted to rename the property President Donald J. Trump Plaza and add text crediting him with the renovation by Sept. 8.

> renovated and restored by President Donald J. Trump
## The letters come down
With the judge's order in hand, workers set up scaffolding to strip Trump's name from the facade of the memorial to John F. Kennedy.
## The naming fight isn't over
The new draft resolution floats several ideas similar to the blocked renaming, so the branding push survives even as the doors close.
## Key takeaway

The closure vote came hours after the board lost in court, and the judge had already said emergency repairs were never blocked, so the safety rationale and the naming fight are hard to separate.