ABC News Live covered the removal of President Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after a federal judge’s court order was upheld, with the Justice Department certifying the completion of the task just before a noon Saturday deadline on June 13, 2026.
The Justice Department filed the certification in federal court one hour before the deadline, stating that Trump’s name had been “removed” from “all physical signage on the Kennedy Center building and grounds,” according to ABC News reporting. Kennedy Center executive director Matt Floca’s declaration detailed that the removal extended beyond the building’s facade to include employees’ email signatures, email communications, letterhead, brochures, promotional materials, press releases, signs, and contracts.
The Trump administration had requested a 12-hour extension from the original Friday midnight deadline, citing weather delays. The government’s filing stated that work “has been delayed because of thunderstorms in the District of Columbia that presented safety concerns for workers.” The judge granted the extension, moving the deadline to noon Saturday.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled on May 29, 2026, in a 94-page opinion that the rebranding of the Kennedy Center as the “Trump Kennedy Center” violated federal law. Cooper determined that only Congress has the authority to rename the institution, which was established and named in honor of President John F. Kennedy. The judge also blocked a planned two-year closure for renovations that the Trump administration had announced.
The case originated when Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Democratic congresswoman from Ohio, filed a lawsuit challenging the renaming. The Kennedy Center’s board had voted to rename the performing arts center after Trump, but the court found this action exceeded the board’s legal authority. The Trump administration appealed the ruling, but a federal appeals court rejected the appeal on Friday night, keeping the removal order in place.
Trump’s name had already been removed from the Kennedy Center’s website and YouTube page prior to the physical removal from the building. The administration had argued in court filings that removing Trump’s name would stall fundraising and prevent necessary repairs, warning that the center could suffer “financial and structural collapse” without Trump’s involvement in reconstruction and fundraising efforts.
Sources
- ABC News — reported on DOJ certification of name removal and details of what materials were included in the removal
- The New York Times — covered Judge Cooper’s May 29 ruling and the legal basis for the decision
- The Guardian — reported on the physical removal of signage and court proceedings
- Politico — covered the judge’s initial ruling that the name change was illegal
- PBS NewsHour — reported on the court’s determination that the board violated federal law
