Justice Department tells court Kennedy Center may have to be torn down without renovation approval

The court filing is the latest escalation in a long-running legal saga over whether President Donald Trump can rename and close the cultural institution, which was originally built to honor President John F. Kennedy. Days earlier, the Kennedy Center's board, which has been reshaped by Trump since he returned to the White House, voted again to close the venue for renovations.

Renaming tied to donor funding

Justice Department attorneys separately argued in the same filing that donor money for the renovation work would dry up if Trump's name were not added to the building. Without that fundraising, they said, the "decrepit, dilapidated" center may ultimately "be required to be taken down," framing the renaming as a financial necessity rather than an aesthetic choice.

The arguments appear in a case brought by former board members who have challenged Trump's takeover of the institution. Among them is Joyce Beatty, a former Democratic congresswoman from Ohio who had served on the Kennedy Center board before being removed. The plaintiffs contend that the president overstepped his authority in moving to install allies on the board and to close the building.

Plaintiffs challenge board overhaul

The legal fight has pitted the Trump administration against critics who argue that the rename and the board overhaul undermine the institution's founding mission. The Justice Department's demolition warning, while framed as a hypothetical, marks one of the starkest public characterizations yet of what the administration says could happen if its renovation plan is blocked.

The proposed renovations would shutter the venue for an extended period while construction crews overhaul aging infrastructure. The administration has cast the work as essential to preserving the building, while opponents say the timing of the project, which would overlap with the 250th anniversary of American independence, is designed to sideline programming Trump disagrees with.

Amphitheater floated as possible replacement

Critics of the board's new leadership have questioned whether the renovation scope justifies a full closure and have pointed to the proposed outdoor amphitheater as evidence that officials are considering a partial replacement of the existing facility. The Justice Department's filing mentions the amphitheater only as one option that "has been proposed, by some, for many years," without endorsing it as the administration's preferred outcome.

The case now returns to the federal judge overseeing the dispute, who will weigh whether the renovation plan can move forward and whether the renaming can stand. The plaintiffs have asked the court to block both steps, arguing that they exceed the president's authority over a federally chartered institution. The judge has not yet indicated when she will rule.

Artists and honorees push back

Beyond the courtroom, the dispute has drawn attention from cultural figures and former Kennedy Center honorees who have publicly objected to the renaming. Several artists whose names adorn the center's performance halls have said they would seek to have their names removed if Trump's were added. The administration has dismissed those objections as politically motivated.

The Kennedy Center's future now rests on a judicial decision that will determine whether one of the country's most prominent performing arts venues will undergo the renovation the administration demands, retain its traditional name, or face the possibility of demolition that the government's own lawyers have outlined in court.