Workers removed President Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts early Saturday, completing a court-ordered task after a federal judge ruled the renaming was illegal and only Congress holds authority to change the venue’s official title.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama appointee, had ordered the removal on May 29, 2026, in a 94-page ruling that found the Kennedy Center board violated federal law when it voted to rename the institution in December 2025. The judge gave the center two weeks to strip Trump’s name from the facade, website, and all official materials.
“Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” Cooper wrote. The center, opened in 1971 as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, was established by federal statute—meaning its name is embedded in law, not subject to board discretion.
Trump’s name had been affixed to the building’s front portico just one day after the board’s December 18, 2025 vote. The full proposed title was to be “The Donald J Trump and John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” The addition came months after Trump replaced several trustees and appointed himself as chairman in February 2025.
The Kennedy Center board and the Justice Department sought to pause the removal order on Friday, June 12, but the judge denied both requests. Workers then began removing the lettering overnight, completing the task by Saturday morning. Kennedy Center Executive Director Matt Floca confirmed in a court filing that Trump’s name had been fully removed from “all physical signage on the Kennedy Center building and grounds, including the front portico.”
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio and ex-officio Kennedy Center board member, had challenged the renaming in a lawsuit, arguing the board had no legal authority to alter the center’s congressionally mandated name. “Today’s ruling rightly affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in law,” Beatty said in a statement. “The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump.”
Trump had announced plans to rename the center as part of a broader effort to rebrand federal facilities across the capital. He also proposed a two-year closure for extensive renovations beginning July 4, 2026. The judge blocked both the renaming and the closure, ruling that the center must remain open and operational.
In response to the May ruling, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would “be working with Congress to transfer this failing Institution back to them.” The Kennedy Center’s leadership indicated it would appeal the decision, with a spokeswoman stating the board remains “confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board’s will to recognise President Trump’s historic contributions.”
Sources
- BBC News — Judge Cooper’s full ruling, the board’s December vote, Trump’s appointment as chairman, and the legal basis for the decision
- NPR — Timing of Trump’s name addition in December 2025 and removal timeline
- The New York Times — Judge Cooper’s reasoning and the statutory naming authority
- AP News — Confirmation of removal and timing of the completion
- CNN — Kennedy Center’s statement on removal and appeal plans
- Reuters — Judge’s denial of pause request and appeals court action
