Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty claims that during a meeting about the Kennedy Center's closure, former President Donald Trump threw a "tantrum," insulting her for nearly 10 minutes and calling her an "obstructionist." The meeting came after a federal judge blocked Trump’s efforts to rename the center with his own name. In response to Trump's actions, the board voted to close the Kennedy Center for repairs despite Trump's objections. White House spokesperson Liz Huston defended Trump's commitment to restoring the center, while Beatty stood firm against what she perceived as bullying and intimidation from Trump during the meeting.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In February 2025, President Donald Trump announced his intention to rid the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. of what he termed "woke culture," claiming it was necessary to run the institution properly. However, in May 2026, a federal judge ruled that renaming the center after Trump was illegal, forcing him to abandon his plans.
In response to this legal setback and financial strain, the Kennedy Center's board chaired by Trump is now considering adding his name back to the building facade through various inscriptions, such as "Renovation Restoration and Endowment overseen by President Donald J. Trump." The center faces imminent fiscal collapse without significant fundraising support, which they argue only Trump can provide on a large scale.
The Kennedy Center's board members, many recently appointed by Trump himself, are scheduled to vote this week on 10 options for reinstating his name and recognition. Critics like Ohio Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty view these efforts as a transparent attempt to circumvent the federal court order preventing such changes. The institution is reportedly at risk of closing as early as Tuesday due to financial insolvency if Trump's name isn't restored, highlighting how political actions have severely impacted its operations and funding stability.
Written for “Kennedy Center Trump Naming Controversy” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 25 other(s) covering the same event.
The congresswoman leading a legal battle against Donald Trump’s attempts to rename the Kennedy Center after himself said the president flew into a “tantrum" and repeatedly insulted her during a board meeting on the venue’s closure.
asserted
president → lead → closure
The Trump-controlled board voted to close the venue within hours after a federal judge blocked the institution from trying to add the president’s name to the building — again — after members proposed renaming it “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts renovated and restored by Donald J. Trump.”
asserted
members → control → Trump
Trump, who appointed himself the board chair last year, then announced on Truth Social that the building will close “immediately,” and he won’t begin his much-touted, multi-million dollar renovation project unless courts agree to let him put his name on it.
asserted
him → appoint → it
“He went into a tantrum,” Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, the board member leading the legal fight, told MSNOW on Tuesday night.
asserted
Beatty → go → night
“I mean, let me just make it simple.
asserted
it → mean → ?
It was the most unprofessional thing that I’ve ever witnessed.”
asserted
I → witness → that
For nearly 10 minutes during the hourlong meeting, Trump was “unhinged” and “screaming and hollering” as he labeled her an “obstructionist” and “dumb,” according to Beatty.
uncertain
he → scream → Beatty
“He said, ‘I think you’re incompetent.’
asserted
you → say → ?
And I said, ‘I know you’re incompetent,’” Beatty said.
asserted
Beatty → say → ?
“He said he was going to hold me responsible if something fell out of the ceiling and killed someone,” she said.
asserted
she → say → someone
“I said, ‘You’re already killing people.
asserted
You → say → people
We’re at war.
asserted
We → ’re → war
We also have people who are starving.
asserted
who → have → people
You’re doing this.’”
asserted
You → do → this
Trump told her she had “never done anything” other than file a lawsuit against him, according to Beatty.
uncertain
she → tell → Beatty
“So I reminded him that he had more bankruptcies than anybody in the room,” she told MSNOW.
asserted
she → remind → MSNOW
“I mean, it really went there, because I was not going to let him,” she told the network.
asserted
she → mean → network
I was not going to let him bully me, intimidate me, and the facts stand for themselves.”
asserted
facts → go → themselves
The Independent reached out to the the White House for comment and spokeswoman Liz Huston said: “For decades, Democrats let the Kennedy Center rot as water damage spread, infrastructure crumbled, and a national treasure fell apart under their watch.
asserted
treasure → reach → watch
President Trump did what Democrats wouldn’t by finally committing the resources and the leadership needed to restore the Kennedy Center and make it the finest performing arts facility in the world.”
asserted
it → do → world
The board voted to close the building for repairs after the Trump administration failed to convince a judge that the venue was in dire financial straits and could not continue to operate without his name on the building.
uncertain
venue → vote → building
“Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing,” District Judge Christopher R. Cooper wrote Tuesday.
asserted
Cooper → put → blessing
“The board resolution bucks a federal court order and a statute Congress enacted,” he added.
asserted
he → buck → order
In court filings, the Department of Justice has repeatedly argued that the performing arts venue is falling into “financial ruin” and rapidly deteriorating in a state of “terminal decline” — and that the president is the “sole hope” for its financial and structural survival.
asserted
president → argue → survival
At one point, the Justice Department even floated the idea of demolishing the building altogether.
But the government has offered “no proof that current or future donations hinge on President Trump’s name being on the building” and “no competent evidence that removing the Trump name would prevent the Center from fulfilling its artistic mission,” as it has done for the last 60 years, Judge Cooper wrote Tuesday,
asserted
Cooper → float → years
In May, Cooper ruled that Congress made it “crystal clear” that the building is only to be named after the assassinated president, “and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial” based on a “unilateral say-so.”
uncertain
it → rule → so
The Trump administration has appealed the judge’s latest order.
asserted
administration → appeal → order
The Kennedy Center had until June 12 to strip quickly-installed name plates that briefly rebranded the venue with Trump’s name, which was removed in the early morning hours of June 13.
asserted
which → have → June
Last month, the board proposed returning the president’s name to the building as a preemptive honor for what was promised to be a multi-million dollar renovation effort.
asserted
what → propose → honor
The board was scheduled to review a new list of 10 ways to return Trump’s name to the building’s facade, but the item was abruptly removed from Tuesday’s agenda, which instead focused solely on the building’s closure.
asserted
which → schedule → closure
“For years, the Kennedy Center has planned to undergo phased renovations, in which we both renovate and maintain some performances.
asserted
we → plan → performances
This is how major performing arts centers in the country operate,” Beatty said in a statement shared with The Independent after the board vote.
asserted
Beatty → operate → vote
“But donors, patrons, and artists all fled after the unlawful attempt to rename this sacred memorial after Donald Trump,” she added.
asserted
she → flee → Trump
“Donald Trump only cares about the Kennedy Center for his vanity.
asserted
Trump → care → vanity
Congress established the Kennedy Center as a living memorial to President Kennedy, and I am proud to defend this cherished institution.”
asserted
I → establish → institution
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