Trump Reverses, Says He Will Keep Control of Kennedy Center After Citing Hundreds of Millions in Losses

Q: After a court blocked its closure, what is the new path for the Kennedy Center's urgent renovations?

The Kennedy Center’s renovations now have to move forward without the planned two-year shutdown, meaning repairs must be done while the venue remains open and continues presenting performances. That path was set after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked the board’s decision to close the building, calling the move inadequately supported. The ruling did not forbid renovation work itself, but it rejected the immediate full closure and indicated that any future shutdown would need a better-developed record and a more independent decision-making process. In practical terms, the center can still use the roughly $257 million approved for urgent work on water damage, aging systems and other building problems, but it must balance construction with its statutory mission as a functioning national arts venue. Legal and academic observers cited in reporting say that means more than simply keeping the doors unlocked; the center is expected to maintain real programming while repairs proceed. Trump initially said he would hand control back to Congress after the ruling, but has since said he will remain chairman. Even so, the immediate renovation path described in court-related reporting is phased or partial construction while the Kennedy Center stays operational, unless a future board action lawfully justifies a broader closure.

3 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 8

Aboard Air Force One on Friday, Donald Trump said he—not Congress—will remain in charge of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, reversing comments from just days earlier.
Trump framed the move as a financial necessity, saying the center has lost hundreds of millions of dollars for years and still must be kept operating because "it’s the arts."
The reversal leaves Trump personally asserting authority over the institution after briefly signaling that control would stay with Congress, extending uncertainty over its governance.