The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., has voted to establish a new endowment in President Donald Trump’s name, apparently creating an additional source of private funding to complement its existing endowments and the approximately $257 million in federal funding appropriated for its building renovations.
The Center’s board of trustees, which is chaired by Trump and composed largely of the president’s allies, voted unanimously to establish the new endowment during a meeting on Thursday, June 11. The board also voted to file an emergency appeal seeking to stay a federal court order requiring the removal of the president’s name from the arts and cultural venue’s facade. Judge Christopher R. Cooper of the Federal District Court in Washington ruled last month that the name change violated an act of Congress and ordered the Center to restore its official name as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts by Friday, June 12.
“We remain fully compliant with the court’s directive while we evaluate legal options regarding the Board’s unanimous vote,” said Roma Davari, vice president of public relations at the Kennedy Center, in a statement. “The establishment of the Trump Kennedy Center Fund is intended to recognize President Donald J. Trump’s significant contributions and dedication to America’s premier cultural center, while furthering our founding mission like never before.”
An unnamed Kennedy Center official told CBS News that the new endowment represents “a landmark commitment” to the institution’s long-term financial sustainability. Another anonymous source told CBS News the fund is expected to focus on the building’s physical repair and maintenance.
The board voted to rename the institution the “Trump Kennedy Center” in December, triggering swift backlash from Democratic lawmakers and creating an existential—and potentially financial—crisis for the organization. More than two dozen performers subsequently canceled appearances at the Center, including composer Philip Glass, who had been scheduled to premiere a new symphony.
Cooper, the federal judge, ruled that the board lacked the unilateral authority to rename the institution the “Trump Kennedy Center” and ordered staff to immediately remove references to the president from its branding, including its website, social media accounts, and letterhead. The judge also ruled that the board had acted unlawfully in approving a two-year closure of the institution for renovations.
In their filing, attorneys for the Kennedy Center and Trump argued that removing the president’s name from the building, only to restore it if their appeal ultimately succeeds, would waste both “time and money.”
Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, a Democrat who sued the administration over the name change and planned closure, described the court’s ruling in a statement as “the beginning of returning the Kennedy Center to the American people,” adding, “The rule of law prevailed, and that is worth celebrating.”
