<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Kennedy Center’s board of trustees is scheduled to vote on 10 different options for restoring President Donald Trump’s name to the exterior of the building this week.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The board members are set to convene on Tuesday as the performing arts institution faces financial difficulties.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The board appears to be considering formally recognizing the president in exchange for his assistance with fundraising efforts, according to a draft resolution on the special meeting’s agenda. The document includes 10 options for adding Trump’s name to the exterior marble beneath the center’s name, emphasizing Trump’s financial support for the cultural landmark in Washington, D.C.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The proposal indicates an attempt by the board to navigate around a court order that previously removed Trump’s name from the building.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), an ex officio member of the board of trustees, highlighted the proposal in a court filing on Monday.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Plaintiff originally understood that the purpose of this meeting was to allow Board members to meet with the Delta Consulting Group, in what was a transparent effort to backfill the Board’s closure vote held on August 13, 2026,” the court filing states. “But over the weekend, Defendants transmitted additional materials to the Board, including new putative reports that directly link the closure to the Kennedy Center’s dire financial circumstances.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">During its Tuesday meeting, the board is set to vote on an immediate, temporary shutdown of the Kennedy Center’s operations. Last month, the board voted to keep the center partially open.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The administration has been advocating for the closure of the Kennedy Center for extensive renovations, citing that the 55-year-old facility is in poor condition. Earlier this month, a portion of the ceiling collapsed due to a severe thunderstorm that affected the nation’s capital, prompting renewed calls for upgrades to the building.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Another example of the urgent need to close the renovation and revitalization, as our Chairman President Trump has championed,” Kennedy Center spokeswoman Roma Daravi said. “Fortunately, no one was injured when the main hall’s ceiling collapsed. This structural failure stems from decades of neglect and deferred maintenance by the previous leadership, and there’s no justification for further delays in restoring America’s cultural center.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Beatty continues to oppose the administration’s plan to close the center. The congresswoman led the lawsuit that resulted in a court ruling halting the planned two-year renovations and removing Trump’s name from the center’s branding.</p>