Trump says Kennedy Center building closes now and renovation “will not take place” if a negative ruling stands
Donald TrumpPresident of the United States and chair of the Kennedy Center's board of trustees, posting on his verified Truth Social account
In a Truth Social post on September 15, Trump wrote that the Kennedy Center board had agreed to close the building for safety reasons, that the closing would take place immediately, and that the renovation and reconstruction could not begin until the D.C. Circuit rules on the board's approved name. He wrote that if that ruling is negative and is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the renovation and reconstruction “will not take place,” and that Justice Department attorneys would ask for an expedited appeal.
“The Board of The Kennedy Center today agreed, almost unanimously, to close the Building for Safety reasons, and so that it can begin the process of Reconstruction. The closing will take place immediately, however, the Renovation and Reconstruction, which is a very large and complex job, cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board's approved name. If the ruling is a negative one, which it should not be, and is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place.”
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Other statements by Donald Trump in this case
- Trump says his administration “should certainly have recognition” because “if we don’t do that, it’s going to close”Later: Defended or excused
- Trump seeks recognition for Kennedy Center renovationLater: Defended or excused
- Trump tells TIME "I'm not committing to anything" on the Kennedy Center, says his administration "should be recognized"Later: Defended or excused
Where this statement fits
Should Donald Trump link the Kennedy Center's renovation to recognition for his administration?
On September 15, 2026, a federal judge barred the Kennedy Center board, chaired by Donald Trump, from inscribing "renovated and restored by Donald J. Trump" on its main building or renaming the grounds for him. The board then voted to close the main building, and Trump posted that renovation "cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board's approved name" and "will not take place" if that ruling is negative and not overturned. In Charlotte on September 16 he said the administration "should certainly have recognition. Because frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down." The White House says the center will "inevitably continue to decline" without his intervention; Rep. Joyce Beatty's lawyers wrote that Trump said "if he is not recognized on the building, it will close and be ripped down." The dispute is over whether the renovation should depend on recognition for Trump's administration and what his remarks mean.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
Trump's own post on his verified account. The original post page carries the full post text, identical character for character to the trumpstruth.org capture (captured 2026-09-19) and to the screenshot in ECF 78, which shows the account and 'Sep 15, 2026, 2:54 PM'.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Original text
About this source
The court's own 22-page opinion, read from the text extract; docket entry dated 2026-09-15. It is a ruling on the board's recognition resolution of August 13, not the D.C. Circuit ruling on the board's approved name that the post refers to.
Original text
About this source
Plaintiff's filing of the same day, hosted on the CourtListener docket. Its screenshot reproduces the post text (identical to the Truth Social page), the account and the 2:54 PM timestamp, and it describes Trump as the Chairman of the Board. The PDF page was rendered and the image read.
Before the quotation
On August 13 the Kennedy Center board passed a resolution to recognize Trump's contributions, including an inscription on the main building and naming the grounds “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.” On September 15 Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in Beatty v. Trump that the board could not carry out those two steps, and the board, meeting that day, voted to approve a closure resolution.
After the quotation
Plaintiff Joyce Beatty's counsel filed the post with the court the same day as a “Notice of Board Vote and Chairman Statement” (ECF 78). The next day, in remarks to reporters in Charlotte, Trump again addressed recognition for his administration; that statement is recorded separately.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
In the post Trump says the board agreed to close the building for safety reasons, that the closing is immediate, that renovation “cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board’s approved name,” and that it “will not take place” if a negative ruling is not overturned, an outcome he says “should not be.” The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”, because the renovation is stated as contingent on a court ruling. That loses because the contingency is the content of the position being recorded, not a qualification of Trump's own stance toward it; the post gives a safety reason for the closure and expresses no reservation about the position.
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- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseSheldon Whitehouse says Trump appointees' conduct is hard to square with the board's fiduciary duty
“Not easy to see how any of this behavior of Trump appointees comports with the board’s fiduciary duty to the Center.”Read statement
Dechicchis criticizes putting recognition ahead of improvements
“In Trump’s mind, if he doesn’t get the recognition he feels he deserves, there’s no point in continuing improvements on the center.”Read statement
Kerry Kennedy says Congress already funded the Kennedy Center's restoration and tells Trump "That's not your job"
“this is the memorial created by the United States Congress to a slain president. So, putting Trump's name on it would be like renaming the Washington Monument the Trump Washington Monument or the Trump Lincoln Memorial or the Trump Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. ... And their argument is they're not -- there is not money for it. But in the Big Beautiful Bill, they -- the Congress passed $246 million in order to restore the Kennedy Center. So that's just not true. ... So President Trump, do your job. Focus on the people's pain and the work that you're supposed to do in the -- in the Oval Office and not on the Kennedy Center. That's not your job.”Read statement
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- Trump says Kennedy Center building closes now and renovation “will not take place” if a negative ruling stands
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The Dispute Index. "Trump says Kennedy Center building closes now and renovation “will not take place” if a negative ruling stands". First published: 2026-09-19. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1169-in-a-truth-social-post-on-september-15