The board of directors of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, appointed by President Donald Trump, voted again this Tuesday in favor of closing the building as part of the renovation plan that has been in place for months and amid a legal battle over the attempt to rename the center with the magnate's surname.
The governing body has insisted again that, after the partial collapse of the ceiling in the main lobby, the building presents safety issues and must be closed immediately to carry out the necessary repairs, according to information released by NBC News.
This is the third vote on the closure since February, after Democratic representative from Ohio, Joyce Beatty, has appealed to the courts each of the decisions, arguing that the responsible parties have not studied alternatives that would allow certain areas of the complex to remain operational while the works are ongoing.
District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled this Tuesday that Trump's surname cannot be added to the building without the approval of Congress, in the context of a legal battle that began when the president decided in December 2025 to place his name on the facade, which subsequently forced workers to remove the sign installed by the magnate.
In order to reinforce his control over the entity, Trump dismissed half of the board members, thus ensuring the support of the body responsible for directing, managing, and preserving this prominent cultural institution. This maneuver triggered a wave of cancellations by artists and a flood of criticism from Democratic ranks.
The United States Congress created the National Cultural Center in 1958 with the mission of offering musical programs, lectures, and other artistic activities aimed at both young people and adults, an entity that came to bear the name of President Kennedy after his death, through a specific law.