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FIRST ON FOX — The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees wants to name the famed arts institution’s grounds the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza,” one of several new ways the board is seeking to honor the president as the center moves ahead with a sweeping renovation, Fox News Digital has learned.
The board also wants the words “Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund” inscribed on the building once the fund reaches a $100 million endowment, according to information obtained by Fox News Digital.
The previously unreported moves come after the board voted Thursday to add an inscription crediting Trump with restoring and renovating America’s cultural center, and approved a partial closure of the complex for renovations.
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The resolution recognizing Trump’s contributions passed by a 20-3 supermajority vote, while the partial-closure resolution passed 23-3, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Democratic Reps. Joyce Beatty of Ohio and Rick Larsen of Washington voted “no” on both resolutions, the source said.
The board’s resolution calls for an inscription below the name of the center reading, “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.”
The board said it wants to recognize Trump’s contributions to the Kennedy Center after the president secured $257 million from Congress to address decades of deferred maintenance.
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The board also approved a partial closure following an independent analysis conducted in accordance with Judge Cooper’s orders. The Kennedy Center said the plan would leave a $3.4 million surplus, compared with a projected $78 million deficit under an alternative involving four years of revolving closures.
The massive renovation will address water infiltration, damaged electrical rooms, hundreds of structural failure points in the parking garage and 2,000-plus-pound soffit panels that have reached “end-of-life” status and present a public safety risk.
“The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the responsible stewardship of America’s Cultural Center. With the confidence of the Board and Chairman President Trump’s unprecedented support, this historic revitalization project can commence, ensuring the Kennedy Center emerges from this next chapter as a stronger, more resilient home for the arts — one that will serve audiences and artists for generations to come,” a Kennedy Center spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
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Free Millennium Stage programs, film events, educational programming and the JFK memorial exhibit will remain available at the REACH during the partial closure.
The National Symphony Orchestra will perform its 2026-2027 Classical Season at venues around the Washington, D.C., area and across the country.
The latest moves come after a federal judge blocked an earlier effort to rename the center after Trump, along with an earlier closure plan.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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