Kennedy Center Board May Have Just Found Genius Workaround on Changes Opposed by Dems

Readers, remember when the federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump and the Kennedy Center Board could not unilaterally close the renowned cultural center in Washington, D.C., for several years' worth of renovations, and include the president's name on the sign as "The Trump Kennedy Center," without authorization by Congress?

Well, they may have hit upon a genius workaround to the Democrat board members' objections, with changes the board approved during a meeting on Thursday:

🚨 NOW: The Trump-Kennedy Center Board has just voted to GREENLIGHT Donald Trump's renovations, and to place his name on the performing arts center — despite an activist judge trying to block it

Good! Trump is fully restoring it, the man deserves it 🔥

The sign would read: "The… pic.twitter.com/Uizq6wf5yC
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 13, 2026

NOW: The Trump-Kennedy Center Board has just voted to GREENLIGHT Donald Trump's renovations, and to place his name on the performing arts center — despite an activist judge trying to block it
Good! Trump is fully restoring it, the man deserves it
The sign would read: "The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.”
A leftist judge will likely try to intervene again. Ignore and renovate!

Court Filings Confirm 'Trump' Has Been Removed From Kennedy Center 'Signage' Ahead of New Deadline

Those were not the only agenda items that the board approved, though. It voted to temporarily close the main building, while keeping the rest of the Center open for performances, as a board member explained:

Paolo Zampolli, a presidential appointee to the board, fired back at critics, urging Trump’s name to be inscribed in large letters and ridiculing opposition to the temporary closure as willfully ignorant of necessary repairs and improvements.
“I call on everyone who is complaining about what we’re doing to go walk the building,” Zampolli told The Post. “To all of the haters, we’re not closing the center. We’re closing the main building. We’re still going to use the $300 million structure called the Reach to do shows.”

The NY Post noted that Pres. Trump, as chair of the board, took part in the board meeting virtually.

White House spokesperson Liz Huston responded, saying in a statement: “Under President Trump’s bold leadership, the Kennedy Center is on its way to becoming the finest cultural institution anywhere in the world."

Democrat Rep. Joyce Beatty (OH-03), the board member who filed the original lawsuit, released a statement reacting to the board's decisions, along with one from her attorneys:

In addition to trying to re-scrawl his name on the Kennedy Center facade by adding “Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump,” Trump's trying to rename the physical site “the President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”
Opposing attys' statement below. (Wash Litig Grp & @DDFund_) pic.twitter.com/JMEoaKjJ0x
— Roger Parloff (@rparloff) August 13, 2026

Beatty said, “This morning’s decision to close the Center and the surprise agenda item to put Donald Trump’s name back on the building was more of the same. This latest development is a transparent effort to circumvent the Court’s ruling, and flies in the face of the statutes that Congress passed."

"I will continue to fight for this treasured national monument," she added.

Her attorneys Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky called the move by the board "...a show of blatant disrespect to the courts," adding that "The court already ruled against the board when it bowed to Trump's demands. Now, the defendants must answer for their actions—again—in court."

While there's no direct promise there to petition the court, it sounds like that could be the next step.

We'll keep you posted, readers.

Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it.

Help us continue to report on President Trump's successes. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.