Public access to Washington's premier performing arts venue ended on September 16 following a vote by the board to address hazardous structural conditions. The decision coincided with a federal judge's refusal to permit the addition of President Trump's name to the facility's exterior, leading to the immediate installation of perimeter security fencing and a total halt of performances.

Rep. Joyce Beatty filed an emergency court motion to challenge the closure, claiming it unlawfully circumvents Congress to force a naming change. Trump has tied the start of any reconstruction to the court's approval of the naming plan and cited 25 years of poor maintenance as the cause of the facility's decay, while contributing $17 million to keep the institution afloat during the dispute.