Saturday, May 30, 2026 - A US judge has ordered that President Donald Trump’s name be removed from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, ruling that the Washington, DC venue cannot be renamed without congressional approval.
The decision, issued on Friday, May 29, by U.S. District
Judge Christopher Cooper, also blocks the centre’s planned temporary closure
during upcoming renovations.
Under the order, Trump’s name must be removed from the
building’s façade, signage, digital displays and official materials within 14
days. The venue will revert to its original name, the John F. Kennedy Memorial
Center for the Performing Arts, as established when it opened in 1971.
“The Kennedy Center's organic statute makes crystal clear
that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any
other formal name or public memorial based on the Board's unilateral say-so,”
Judge Cooper wrote in a 94-page opinion. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its
name, and only Congress can change it.”
The dispute stems from changes made after Trump became
involved with the institution’s leadership in 2025, including his appointment
as chairman of the board and a decision to rename the venue “The Donald J Trump
and John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” In February 2025,
Trump replaced several trustees, appointed himself as a trustee, and was later
voted in as chairman of the arts centre’s board.
A spokesperson for the centre said they would appeal the
ruling. “We are confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board's will
to recognize President Trump's historic contributions to our nation's cultural
center,” spokesperson Roma Daravi said.
She added that the institution would also review the ruling
on the planned renovation closure, while insisting urgent repairs were still
necessary. “Though the reality remains, the Center requires an urgent and
significant restoration, a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges,” she
said.
“With $257 million secured by President Trump and approved
by Congress, the resources are in place and we remain committed to pursuing
every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a
national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.”
Board member Joyce Beatty, who brought part of the legal
challenge, said the ruling upheld the law. “Today's ruling rightly affirms that
this administration's efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in
law,” she said.
“The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the
American people, not to Donald Trump. He has desecrated this sacred memorial
for his own vanity. I am proud to have fought for the rule of law and to
protect this sacred institution.”
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