On May 29, 2026, Trump posted the following on Truth Social:
Shockingly, a Judge appointed by Barack Hussein Obama, Christopher Cooper, ruled that The Kennedy Center, which was going to close in early July for largescale renovations and construction due to years of neglect, decay, and poor maintenance, and which was to be transformed by the Trump Administration into the Finest Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World, is not allowed to close for these renovations, which would not be possible to properly do without such a closure. Additionally, Judge Cooper ruled that the 36 Member Board of Trustees, which unanimously voted to add the name "TRUMP" onto the former Kennedy Center, making it The Trump Kennedy Center, did not have the right to do such an addition, and the name, "TRUMP," must be removed.
The Kennedy Center has lost, over the years, prior to our getting involved a short while ago, Hundreds of Millions of Dollars — In some cases, including ridiculous construction jobs that were done, over 100 Million Dollars a year. I took great pride in taking over a losing Institution, and looked forward to making it into a Great and Prestigious WINNER for Washington, D.C., and indeed, the United States of America. Unfortunately, Judge Cooper and the Radical Left would rather see it DIE than have President Trump transform it into something that everyone could be proud of, much as I have done, in many cases, throughout my life, and recently, with all of the construction, renovations, and "fix ups" that we have completed with the Department of Interior on Waterfalls, Fountains, Monuments, and other things of Beauty that we have brought back to life in a now SAFE AND SECURE, after Record Setting Crime, Washington, D.C., which is thriving like, perhaps, never before!
Therefore, based on the fact that the Radical Left Democrats care more about opposing your favorite President, ME, than saving a dying Performing Arts Center, almost all of which lose large amounts of money throughout the Country, we are going to be working with Congress to transfer this failing Institution back to them so they can make a determination as to what to do with it. Judge Cooper was given a presentation by leading Building and Construction Experts as to how structurally dangerous the Building is, with rotting beams, parking areas that are subject to collapse, and various other Life and Safety problems, in addition to the fact that it also needs a MAJOR renovation, from an aesthetic standpoint, but he was not "swayed," and said he wants the Building to, incredibly, remain open and, therefore, dangerous. Judge Cooper should be ashamed of himself! I cannot be involved with a situation where danger to the Public is allowed to flourish in plain and open sight. Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into "NEVER NEVER LAND." There has never been a President of the United States who has been treated so unfairly by the Courts as I but, that's OK, I will continue to do, what is considered to be, a great job for the wonderful people of our Country. I have instructed the Department of Commerce to make all necessary arrangements with Congress to allow a full and complete transfer of this Institution, giving them the responsibility for its Operation, Maintenance, and Management. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Trump's post was in response to a May 29, 2026 (same day) ruling in Washington, D.C. by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper who ruled that Trump's name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center facade. Cooper also blocked the Trump administration from closing the Kennedy Center for Trump's planned renovations.
The legal case was brought by U.S. House representative Joyce Beatty (Democrat-Ohio)) who is an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees. Beatty was represented by lawyers from Democracy Defenders Action and the Washington Litigation Group.
In a post on X, Beatty said "I was on that call [regarding the vote] and as I tried to push my button to voice my concern, to ask questions, and certainly not to vote in support of this, I was muted. Each time I tried to speak, I was muted."
Here's part of what Cooper said in his ruling (bold added for emphasis):
The Court has concluded that the Board overstepped its statutory bounds by unilaterally renaming the Kennedy Center after President Trump. In 1964, Congress deliberately rechristened the "National Cultural Center" the "John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts." The text, structure, and evolution of the organic statute makes the institution's name abundantly clear. Congress likewise took pains to ensure that no other memorial-like dedication would grace the Center's public spaces. As a result, the Kennedy Center Board's decision to rename the Center, along with its decision to affix President Trump's name to the building's façade, violate Congress's unequivocal mandate. As stated at the outset, Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.
The Board also overstepped its statutory bounds by unilaterally stripping ex officio trustees of any right to vote on trust matters. The relevant provision of the May 2025 bylaw amendments finds no support in the statute, as Congress hinted at no qualitative difference between general and ex officio trustees, and the common law presumptively places them on equal footing. Moreover, a trustee's categorical right to vote is not a mere "organizational" or "procedural" housekeeping matter appropriately left to the Board's discretion.
Finally, the Court is preliminarily persuaded that the Board's March 16 vote to close the Kennedy Center pending a years-long renovation represents a dereliction of its common-law-derived duty of prudence. The current record reveals that the Board rendered this ill-informed and seemingly preordained decision without regard for how it would accomplish its full array of statutory responsibilities. The trustees might have assessed the propriety of closure in a number of prudent ways. This was not one.
Source:
Cooper, Christopher. (May 29, 2026). "JOYCE BEATTY, Plaintiff, v. DONALD J. TRUMP et al., Defendants.". documentcloud.org. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
On May 30, 2026, at 8:15 a.m. Trump posted the following on Truth Social:
Can you imagine? A Barack Hussein Obama Judge named Christopher Cooper has stopped a magnificent structural and aesthetic rebuilding of The Trump Kennedy Center where Millions of Dollars of material, marble, furniture, steel, air conditioning, heating, and so much else was ordered, or soon to be ordered, with the end result being a structure that would no longer be in a potential state of collapse, rusted, rotted, and rat and bug infested, to one that would be the Finest anywhere in the World. It was necessary to close the Center in order to get this work done. It is not possible to have a major and very dangerous Construction job, including the replacement of structural beams, with audiences innocently going in to watch a Play. The marble is in terrible shape, the pipes are gone, the air conditioning and heating systems are 65 years old, and no longer functioning. It was all being torn out to be replaced by brand new Carrier Equipment, at the highest standard. Now that won't happen anymore because a Judge, whose wife is an anti Trump Hater, and he is too, decided, unprecedentedly, to not allow a desperately needed Building Renovation to go forward. On top of that, he said, "Rip his name off the Building, he's got 20 days to do so," even though a large Board of some of the most distinguished people in the Country voted unanimously to put the name up. I didn't do it, the Board did because they thought it would be good for this dying Institution, which was doing Record Low Business and, especially after COVID, only getting worse — True for other such Institutions throughout the Country, but The Trump Kennedy Center was going to be a special one. It would have fully recovered, when none others will. It would have been a New Standard of Excellence, one of my many Gifts to Washington, D.C. The new Building would have been incomparable, beautiful marble, magnificent chandeliers, the finest carpets, rugs, and furniture, designed at the highest level but, perhaps most importantly, replaced steel on many beams, columns, and girders, making the Building structurally sound again. People shouldn't be allowed to go into that Building until this is fixed, and yet the Trump Hating Judge wants to keep it open because his wife probably told him to do so! Cooper's wife, Amy Jeffress, who doesn't use the "Cooper" name because they, as a couple, don't want people to know that she has a Conflict of Interest with an important Judge, is a Radical Left Democrat, who worked as a Federal Prosecutor and Counselor to Obama Attorney General, Eric Holder, worked behind the scenes for the January 6th Unselect Committee of Political Hacks and Thugs, Dirty Cop FBI attorney Lisa Page in the Hillary Clinton Email Scandal, RUSSIA RUSSIA RUSSIA Hoax, and her Millions of Dollars Settlement, even though she was "guilty as hell," and is currently representing Sleepy Joe Biden on the release of his audio tapes, and more. She also works for the same Legal Firm that represented E. Jean Carroll who received a decision against me, now under appeal, that was shocking to the entire World. Amy is totally wired into the Left System, from her husband down, and it is impossible for me to be treated fairly. He has a total Conflict of Interest, and should be brought up on charges for not revealing these facts. That is why The Kennedy Center will soon be closed, probably never to open again. That is why, at a different level, and with different players, our Country lost the TARIFF Case, and is forced to pay back 149 Billion Dollars in money received from people who hate everything we stand for. They are laughing all the way to the Bank at how stupid we are (One half sentence clause from the Supreme Court would have saved us this incalculable amount of money!), and that is probably why our Country will lose the Birthright Citizenship Case (No other Country in the World has this — It is totally unaffordable!), because our Court System is RIGGED, no different than our Political System is RIGGED, and the people of our Country know it, and that is why I got overwhelmingly elected President, in Record Numbers, and will FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Later the same day, at 4:03 p.m. Trump posted the following on Truth Social:
We should have a giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY, for 250, instead of having overpriced singers, who nobody wants to hear, whose music is boring, and yet who do nothing but complain. Cancel it, just like I canceled my involvement with the failing and unsafe to be in Kennedy Center, because a Highly Conflicted, Crooked Federal Judge, said that I should not be allowed to spend my time and money in order to MAKE THE CENTER GREAT AGAIN, actually, far greater than it ever was before! It would have also been nice to see a Republican/Democrat union bring it back to life. The Kennedy Center is broken, unsafe, and $busted, and has been for many years! Judge Cooper also stated that the highly prestigious Board of the Center was not authorized to add on the name "TRUMP" despite the fact that hundreds of millions of dollars of my time and money will be necessary for its successful reincarnation. So now, the Kennedy Center will collapse, both structurally and financially. Judge Cooper and his wife, Amy Jeffress (obfuscation anyone?), should be ashamed of themselves. Judge Cooper, like numerous other Crooked Judges on my cases, should be IMPEACHED. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Note that on February 11 and February 12 of 2025, Trump appointed 13 members to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and in addition he appointed himself.
Note that on December 18, 2025, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to add Trump's name to the Kennedy Center facade. The next day, workers added Trump's name to the Kennedy Center facade, during which a small group of National Guard members were present as work was done to add Trump's name.
Commentary:
The fact that Trump posted at length three times about the Kennedy Center over two days shows us, once again, that Trump is unable to let go of things. Trump is obsessed and consumed by things he doesn't approve of, especially when he perceives those things as an attack on himself and his ego. He expends enormous amounts of energy on these things, all to the detriment of America and the world.
If Trump would spend even half of the time he wastes ranting on Truth Social, he might actually be able to help the American people.
Note that Trump's name was placed on the Kennedy Center facade the day after the Board of Trustees voted for the name change. This tells us that Trump had already prearranged the installation of his name on the facade, knowing that because so many of his self-appointed sycophants are on the Board (for example, Maria Bartiromo, Pamela Bondi, Laura Ingraham, Allison Lutnick, Dan Scavino, and Susie Wiles), getting approval was a sure thing.
The fact that Trump wanted his name on the facade, and that he had it added the day after approval tells us all we need to know about Trump's massive and out of control ego!
A December 31, 2025 article on the Rolling Stone website entitled "Kennedy Center Altered Rules So Only Trump-Appointed Board Members Could Vote on Name Change" states that a Washington Post report confirmed that the Kennedy Center adopted a revised set of rules in May, saying that Board members designated by Congress — known as ex officio members — could not vote or count toward a quorum. However, it seems that the legality of which Board members are eligible to vote is unclear.
Regarding the renovations, I'm sure that the overwhelming majority of Americans support whatever it takes to maintain the Kennedy Center. Based on Judge Cooper's conclusions, it appears that the Board did not use good judgement in creating a plan to get the work done.
When you're an egotistical "bull in a China shop" like Trump, decisions are made and actions are taken with little forethought to all of the potential outcomes, and those decisions and actions are always shaped by Trump's ego. If Trump had simply requested the renovations and asked for a reasonable plan on how to get them done, and if he had not insisted that his name be added to the Kennedy Center's name, all of this backlash, including Beatty's lawsuit, could have been avoided. But no, that's not Trump's way. As always, he just goes "all in," regardless of the consequences.
The Kennedy Center was named after John F. Kennedy. It is a memorial to him and no one else.
If Trump wants a memorial with his name on it, I suggest he build it himself, with his own money.
Regarding Trump's comment about a "RIGGED" Court System, a "RIGGED" Political System, his perception that "the people of our Country know it," and his perception "that is why I got overwhelmingly elected President, in Record Numbers," once again this shows us Trump's deranged mind.
JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE A COURT DECISION OR THE OUTCOME OF AN ELECTION DOESN'T MEAN THOSE SYSTEMS ARE "RIGGED"!
No, not all the people of America "know it." The only people who believe Trump's B.S. are his insane sycophants.
And no, that's not why Trump got "overwhelmingly" elected. Trump got elected because a) he's the most egregious con-man in the history of U.S politics, and b) he was able to convince millions of ignorant, uninformed voters to vote for him.