Donald Trump’s bruising battle over the Kennedy Center just got worse, with the institution being hit with a new multi-million-dollar lawsuit.
Days after a federal judge ordered Trump’s name stripped from the nation’s premier performing arts institution, the Washington National Opera is demanding more than $17 million that the organization says it is owed.
The lawsuit claims the Trump-controlled Kennedy Center failed to return the money to the organization after it split from the venue earlier this year amid discontent over the president’s takeover.
“The funds held by the Kennedy Center represent years of gifts and contributions made by loyal WNO donors who specifically directed their support to benefit WNO and its mission,” the opera said in the court filing.
“Those donors trusted that their contributions would support WNO’s artists, its performances and the education and community programs that WNO has carried out for decades,” it added.
The latest legal headache lands at an especially awkward moment for Trump and his allies, who are already reeling from a string of setbacks involving the institution.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that Trump and his handpicked board lacked the authority to rename the Kennedy Center after the president, finding that only Congress can alter the name of the federally chartered memorial.
Cooper, who was appointed under Barack Obama, also blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations, finding it “ill-informed and seemingly preordained,” with no regard for legal obligations.
Trump’s allies on the board are now appealing the decision and have sought a stay to preserve his name on the center’s signage.
“The president had a perfect plan for the renovation,” long-time board member Paolo Zampolli told the Daily Beast.
“The center needed to be sustainable. It was falling apart.”
However, Rep. Joyce Beatty, who challenged Trump’s takeover in court, filed a motion on Friday describing the last-ditch attempt as “frivolous.”
“Donald Trump’s name on this building is unlawful and the games this administration is playing to avoid its removal do not change that,” she said.
Trump took over the Kennedy Center in February 2025, installing MAGA acolyte Ric Grenell to oversee the institution while criticizing its previous leadership for what he called “woke” programming and mismanagement.
But Grenell was ousted earlier this year after a tumultuous term, with Trump’s efforts to remake the Kennedy Center in his own image sparking a sustained backlash from artists, donors and performers.
Several prominent artists canceled appearances, while the Washington National Opera announced it would depart the institution altogether, citing the upheaval surrounding the new leadership.
The fresh lawsuit threatens to deepen questions about Trump’s stewardship of the cultural landmark.
The suit, filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, centers on a decades-old endowment established to support the Washington National Opera.
According to the complaint, donors contributed roughly $17 million with the understanding that the money would permanently benefit opera programming at the Kennedy Center.
Instead, plaintiffs allege the funds were effectively seized after the Washington National Opera announced it would leave the Kennedy Center earlier this year amid the turmoil surrounding Trump’s takeover.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and the Kennedy Center.
