Trump's name must be removed from Kennedy Center, judge rules
The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts on May 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. A federal judge on
The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts on May 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. A federal judge on Friday barred President Donald Trump from adding his name to that of the Kennedy Center, as he did in late December, ruling that "Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it." Judge Christopher Cooper ordered that Trump's name be removed from the facade of the center and other sinage within two weeks. Cooper also temporarily blocked the Washington, D.C., performing arts landmark, which in December had been renamed the "Trump Kennedy Center," from being closed for two years for renovations at the behest of the president, who is chair of its Board of Trustees.
Cooper's order came in response to a lawsuit by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and ex officio Kennedy Center trustee, whose civil complaint challenged the renaming, the closure of the center for renovations, and being stripped of her voting rights by board in May 2025. Cooper, in his ruling, said the Kennedy Center's board did not balance its obligations to the center in deciding to shutter for renovations. But the board might be able to close for that purpose "after independently balancing its multiple obligations to the Center in a prudent fashion," the judge wrote in the decision in U.S. District Court in Washington.
Cooper also said his preliminary injunction "will not prevent the Center from moving forward with the capital repair work it has planned." Trump later blasted Cooper for the ruling, but seemed resigned to his name being pulled off the Kennedy Center, which the president characterized as being badly in need of repair. "We are going to be working with Congress to transfer this failing Institution back to them so they can make a determination as to what to do with it," Trump said in a Truth Social post. "Judge Cooper should be ashamed of himself!" the president wrote.
"I cannot be involved with a situation where danger to the Public is allowed to flourish in plain and open sight." The board's vote to rename the center came 10 months after Trump removed several trustees from the board and appointed himself as a trustee. The center's facade was changed to reflect the decision, as were other signs around the facility.
The BriefWire