Kennedy Center workers have removed President Trump’s name from the building’s facade after a federal court order, with the Justice Department confirming the work completed by a Saturday noon deadline set by a judge in June 2026. Matt Floca, the Kennedy Center’s executive director and chief operating officer, filed a certification stating that Trump’s name has been removed from “all physical signage on the Kennedy Center building and grounds, including the front portico, that purports to rename the Kennedy Center after President Trump.”
The removal followed a May 29 ruling by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who determined that adding Trump’s name to the performing arts center violated federal law. Cooper ruled that the Kennedy Center’s board “overstepped its statutory bounds” by unilaterally renaming the institution without Congressional approval.
In his decision, Cooper emphasized the legal foundation of the Kennedy Center’s identity. “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” he wrote. “The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump,” according to a statement from Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), who brought the successful lawsuit challenging the renaming.
Beatty, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board, filed the lawsuit in December 2025 after Trump and his allies added his name to the building in late 2025. The judge gave the Kennedy Center board 14 days from his May 29 ruling to comply, setting a deadline of June 12. Workers began the physical removal early Saturday morning, with a tarp concealing the scaffolding as crews worked on the marble facade.
The ruling also blocked the Trump administration’s planned two-year closure of the Kennedy Center for extensive renovations. Judge Cooper found the board’s March vote to close the facility was “ill-informed and seemingly preordained” with no regard for its legal obligations. Trump responded to the initial ruling by saying he was backing away from his renovation proposal and returning control to Congress.
The Kennedy Center board initially appealed the ruling, but a federal appeals court denied the request for a stay on June 12, allowing the removal to proceed on schedule. The Trump administration also filed an appeal, but the deadline for compliance remained unchanged.
Sources
- PBS NewsHour / Associated Press — Judge Christopher Cooper’s May 29 ruling that Trump’s name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center, the legal reasoning, and the two-week removal deadline
- AP News — Matt Floca’s certification that Trump’s name has been removed from all physical signage at the Kennedy Center
- NBC News — Kennedy Center official confirmation that Trump’s name has been removed from the building and website
- The Guardian — Workers removing Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center facade after court rulings
- CNN — Kennedy Center’s full removal of Trump’s name from the building and confirmation of compliance
- Congresswoman Joyce Beatty’s Office — Beatty’s lawsuit and statement about the ruling reversing the unlawful renaming
- CNBC — Rep. Joyce Beatty’s successful lawsuit and statement that the Kennedy Center belongs to the American people
