Donald Trump holds JFK’s Kennedy Center memorial hostage to his own vanity

The board of trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted to shut most of the performing arts venue immediately for reconstruction. But President Donald Trump said the work would not begin unless the courts allow him to restore his name to the building.

Trump first announced in February that the center would close for two years for renovations. The board approved that plan in March, but a federal judge blocked the closure in May. Trump has now tied the start of reconstruction to the outcome of the legal fight over adding his name to the memorial.

Related: Trump administration tells judge: Let us put his name on the Kennedy Center, or we’ll tear it down

“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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. The attorneys from the (Department of Justice) will ask for an expedited appeal. In the meantime, 17 Million Dollars, raised by President Trump, has been put into The Kennedy Center account to keep it afloat.”

An official tally of the board vote was not immediately available, but sources told CNN that the meeting became chaotic after Trump joined by phone and berated U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who serves on the board. Beatty filed the lawsuit that successfully challenged the board’s decision to put Trump’s name on the building without congressional approval.

A federal judge in May ruled that only Congress can rename the memorial, and Trump’s name was removed in June. A tarp has partially covered the building’s facade ever since. Beatty told CNN that Trump said she would be responsible if the center’s roof collapsed and injured someone. Beatty said she would continue legal action against the administration regardless.

“We will go back to court as much as we need to, because what he is proposing is unlawful and he just shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it,” she said.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper again blocked the board from adding Trump’s name to the center. The board’s latest proposal would have inscribed “Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump” on the facade and renamed the plaza outside in his honor. Cooper ruled that federal law prohibits the Kennedy Center from installing a memorial to Trump — or anyone else — without congressional approval. The Justice Department appealed the decision.

Related: Trump’s Kennedy Center board votes to put his name back on the building — despite a judge’s explicit order

Trump, who replaced most of the board’s appointed members after returning to office and was then elected its chair, has previously called for all performances to stop during reconstruction. Many performances had already been canceled after artists withdrew in protest of the center’s new leadership, programming changes, and its attempted renaming as a memorial to slain President John F. Kennedy.

Before Trump’s second term, the Kennedy Center presented more than 2,000 events each year, making it the nation’s busiest performing arts center. After Trump announced changes that included ending drag performances, many artists canceled shows in protest. At one remaining performance, members of the gay conservative group Log Cabin Republicans heckled and booed guitarist Yasmin Williams after then-Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell reserved seats for the group.