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.”
The Kennedy Center was established in memory of President John F. Kennedy following his assassination in 1963, and remains one of the United States’ leading cultural institutions.