The Kennedy Center told a federal court on Tuesday that it will not attempt to restore President Trump’s name to the building’s facade until after Labor Day, according to a new status report filed in an ongoing legal battle over the arts complex’s future.
In the filing submitted to Judge Christopher R. Cooper, the Kennedy Center outlined its plan to eventually inscribe the text “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump, Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund” on the building, but committed to holding off until September 8.
The September 8 date is significant because it falls after Labor Day, when Congress returns to session and when Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, and her legal team have requested that Judge Cooper rule on the case. Beatty’s lawyers urged the judge to make a decision before that date, warning that “there is thus every reason to believe that Defendants will attempt to effectuate some or part of this latest unlawful resolution at the earliest opportunity after Sept. 8.”
The tarp that has covered the Kennedy Center’s entrance since June 13, 2026—the deadline for removing Trump’s name following a court order—remains at the center of the dispute. The Kennedy Center argues in its filing that the tarp is a “necessary element of the ongoing construction activities” and serves to protect the marble paneling during renovation work.
Beatty’s legal team contests this characterization, contending that the Kennedy Center’s board “are maintaining scaffolding and a tarp to cover the Kennedy Center’s façade to frustrate the intent of the Court’s order that the Center be returned to a memorial exclusively honoring President Kennedy.” The board was accused in earlier filings of maintaining the tarp in “petulant defiance” of the judge’s ruling.
The Kennedy Center tarp saga began in May 2026 when Judge Cooper ruled that only Congress could change the Kennedy Center’s name and that Trump’s name must be removed. Trump’s name had been added to the building earlier under the Trump administration. When the deadline passed on June 12, workers erected the scaffolding and tarp in the early morning hours of June 13 to cover the signage as they removed it—and the tarp has remained in place ever since.
The board’s August 13-14 vote to reinscribe Trump’s name represents an aggressive test of the judge’s authority. The proposed inscription would be placed below the Kennedy Center sign and would include text about a “Trump Kennedy Center Fund” if donations reach $100 million. The board also voted to rename the grounds “President Donald J. Trump Plaza” and to close the main building for two years for renovations.
The dispute has had ripple effects across Washington’s cultural institutions. The Kennedy Center delays Trump name restoration until after Labor Day, creating uncertainty for performers and audiences. The National Symphony Orchestra, an anchor tenant whose finances are deeply intertwined with the Kennedy Center, announced this week that it will rotate its concerts between six different venues in the greater Washington, D.C. region for the 2026-27 season, citing the ongoing closure and boycott affecting the center.
Sources
- NPR — status report filed August 19, 2026, detailing Kennedy Center’s September 8 commitment, tarp justification, and board’s proposed inscription language
- Washington Post — August 13, 2026 report on Kennedy Center board vote to inscribe Trump’s name and approve two-year closure
- New York Times — August 13, 2026 article on board decision and inscription text “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump”
- Al Jazeera — August 13, 2026 coverage of board vote and renovation plans
- USA Today — June 13, 2026 report on Trump’s name removal and tarp installation following court deadline
- Politico — June 13, 2026 article on workers removing Trump’s name after court order
