President Donald Trump’s name has been removed from the facade of the Kennedy Center following federal court orders, marking an end to one of the more unusual chapters in the performing arts venue’s history. Workers completed the removal early Saturday, June 13, 2026, hours after a court-ordered deadline passed.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled on May 29, 2026, that the Kennedy Center board “overstepped its statutory bounds” when it unilaterally added Trump’s name to the building. Cooper stated that Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.
“May the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts be renamed absent Congressional authorization? The answer, plain from the face of the statute, is no,” Cooper wrote in his decision.
Matt Floca, the Kennedy Center’s executive director and chief operating officer, told a federal court Saturday that the institution had complied with the removal order. In a court filing, Floca said the board of trustees and the center had removed “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 Legal Challenge
The lawsuit that led to the removal was filed by Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board. Beatty argued that without an act of Congress, the Kennedy Center’s board did not have the power to add the sitting president’s name to the building.
Cooper held hearings in late April for parallel lawsuits challenging the project. One was filed by a group of cultural and historic preservation organizations. The other was brought by Beatty. He ruled in favor of Beatty’s request but rejected the other challenge.
The Kennedy Center’s leadership fought the court order aggressively. Two courts rejected the institution’s last-minute request to retain Trump’s name pending an appeal. After severe thunderstorms raked Washington on Friday evening, the Kennedy Center sought one more extension before complying with the noon Saturday deadline.
In its unsuccessful appeal, the Kennedy Center’s leadership argued that the lower court was interfering with needed renovations. The institution suggested that Trump’s name could return to the building if the Kennedy Center later wins its appeal and claimed it would “be forced to squander time and money — by both removing the signage and then potentially returning it after appeal.”
A Broader Pattern
The removal of Trump’s name closes one of the more unusual chapters in the Kennedy Center’s history, which began construction in 1964 and was dedicated to the memory of the slain president, Democrat John F. Kennedy. Trump moved quickly to oust the institution’s leadership when he returned to office in January 2025 and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman. His name was quickly added to the building.
While the removal of his name marks a setback for Trump, he is moving forward with plans to reshape the physical landscape of the nation’s capital in ways that have few modern parallels. He demolished the East Wing of the White House and is building a controversial ballroom in its place. He remodeled the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and plans extensive renovations of a golf course in East Potomac Park. He is also moving forward with a triumphal arch that will sit near Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River in Virginia.
Beatty called the decision a win for the Kennedy Center and the performing arts. “Today’s victory is the beginning of returning the Kennedy Center to the American people,” Beatty said in a statement. “The rule of law prevailed, and that is worth celebrating.”
The same May court decision that ordered Trump’s name to be removed from the building also blocked a planned two-year closure for renovations that was set to begin next month. The Kennedy Center’s calendar for the weeks ahead includes performances of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” and “Bluey’s Big Play,” as well as a June 28 ceremony honoring comedian Bill Maher with the Mark Twain Award for American Humor.
Sources
- PBS NewsHour — Judge Christopher Cooper’s ruling on May 29, 2026, that the Kennedy Center board violated federal law by adding Trump’s name without Congressional authorization
- AP News — Matt Floca’s court filing confirming removal of Trump’s name from all physical signage, and details of the removal process on June 13, 2026
- Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (.gov) — Official statement on the court ruling and the lawsuit challenging the unlawful renaming
