President Trump is preparing to convene the board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Monday to vote on a plan to close the institution for renovations beginning July 6, according to an internal agenda obtained by Baltimore Chronicle with reference to The New York Times. The agenda signals the president’s intent to swiftly implement the two-year closure he announced in February, aimed at transforming the center.
The document was circulated to trustees late Sunday following a federal court order requiring the release of information to Representative Joyce Beatty, Democrat of Ohio, who had filed suit asserting her right to participate as an ex officio board member. Beatty contended that, after President Trump removed multiple board members and assumed the chairmanship, he sought to impose changes potentially including a major reconstruction of the Kennedy Center.
Judge Christopher R. Cooper of the U.S. District Court in Washington held an emergency hearing Friday and ruled Saturday that the board could not withhold details about the meeting or block Beatty from attending to express opposition. The judge’s order stipulated that budgets, related documents, and records of decisions pertaining to Monday’s agenda must be shared with her.
Despite this ruling, Judge Cooper did not authorize Beatty to cast a vote on proposals during the meeting. Her legal team indicated plans to contest the closure, the proposed addition of President Trump’s name to the center, and other structural changes, with further judicial determinations deferred until after the board convenes.
The agenda also outlines planned remarks by President Trump and Richard Grenell, who served as the center’s president until announcing his resignation last week. Additionally, the meeting includes a resolution concerning the separation of the Washington National Opera from the Kennedy Center. Beyond confirming the president’s intention to temporarily shutter the cultural institution, the documents provide limited clarity regarding specific renovation plans.
In her lawsuit, Beatty’s attorneys had sought transparency regarding a February social media post in which Trump claimed to have conducted a “one year review” incorporating feedback from contractors, musical experts, and arts institutions. However, materials circulated on Sunday offered minimal evidence of a comprehensive review, including reports from 2021 and 2022 on the building’s condition and a contracting policy issued in November.
“These inadequate documents prove that there is absolutely no basis to shutter this precious living memorial and beloved institution,” Beatty stated. “It certainly looks like President Trump is shutting down the center because he is embarrassed that ticket sales are down and artists are fleeing since his illegal renaming.”
Judge Cooper acknowledged that some required documents may not yet exist and that further determinations on Trump’s plans could be pending. Representatives for Beatty declined to comment on the contents of the materials or whether additional documentation was provided beyond what trustees received.
Over a dozen members of Congress, alongside the Secretary of State and the Mayor of Washington, D.C., hold ex officio positions on the board as established under federal law. The documents were sent to trustees fewer than 16 hours before the scheduled meeting, and it remains uncertain if they fully complied with the judge’s order. Beatty’s legal team had previously warned that the board could become a “rubber stamp” for the president, expressing concern that the Kennedy Center, established as a living memorial to former President John F. Kennedy, could face drastic renovations with minimal oversight.
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