A House Democrat from Ohio filed a federal lawsuit on Monday seeking to halt the Trump administration’s plan to close the Trump-Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for two years for renovation.
The expected cost is about $200 million.
Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio member of the center’s board of trustees who has represented Ohio’s 3rd District since 2013, is seeking a preliminary injunction in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Her lawsuit alleges President Donald Trump could ultimately demolish the center, long considered a cultural hub of the nation’s capital.
"President Trump’s own words indicate that he is planning to demolish the existing Kennedy Center building," the lawsuit said. "To state the obvious, Congress has not authorized either closing the center or conducting a 'complete rebuilding.'"
Trump has not publicly stated the building would be demolished. He announced Feb. 1 on Truth Social that the center would close for two years beginning July 4, the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.
Trump told reporters on Feb. 2 in the Oval Office that the center is “in very bad shape; it’s rundown, it’s dilapidated.”
"We’re going to close it, and we’re going to make it unbelievable, far better than it ever was," he said. "I’m not ripping it down; I’ll be using the steel.
"So, we’re using the structure, we’re using some of the marble and some of the marble comes down. But when it’s open, it will be really brand new and beautiful."
Beatty’s lawsuit also cited the demolition of the East Wing of the White House last year as Trump seeks to build a ballroom there.
"This all fits a disturbing pattern," the lawsuit stated. "The Court should not wait until the bulldozers are at the door.
"It should issue an order that preserves the status quo until the rule of law, not unilateral executive action, determines the Kennedy Center’s ultimate fate."
This is the second lawsuit Beatty has filed against Trump in recent months.
In December, she sued the president to force the removal of his name from the center, which had been named in honor of President John F. Kennedy following his assassination.
The suit contends a vote by the center’s board to change the name was illegal because an act of Congress is required to rename the building.
Beatty is represented in both lawsuits by Norman Eisen, a White House ethics counsel in the Obama administration, and Nathaniel Zelinsky of the Washington Litigation Group.
"President Trump’s actions have been lawless," Beatty said Friday in a statement. "First he tried to rename the Kennedy Center after himself — in direct violation of the law that Congress passed and over my staunch objection.
"Then, last month, he announced that he is closing the Kennedy Center. But he does not have the authority to do that either."
White House spokeswoman Liz Huston told The Hill that Democrats "neglected the Trump-Kennedy Center for years" and that the president "stepped up to rescue and revitalize the institution."
"The newly named Trump-Kennedy Center proudly recognizes President Trump’s incredible contributions including strengthening its finances, leading major building upgrades, removing divisive woke programming, and transforming it into a welcoming destination that everyone can enjoy under his leadership,” Huston said. "Only deranged Democrats could oppose these efforts."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.