Federal judge orders removal of Trump's name from Kennedy Center
On May 29, 2026, U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper ruled that Donald Trump's name must be taken off the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. This decision nullified the board's resolution from December 18, 2025, which aimed to rename it the "Trump Kennedy Center." The defendants have a 14-day period to take down signage, update the website, retract trademark applications, and submit a compliance declaration. A permanent injunction prohibits any name alterations without Congressional approval. Representative Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) initiated the case, which also contested the revocation of voting rights and a proposed two-year renovation closure starting July 4, now on hold pending a new vote. Established in 1958, the Kennedy Center requires urgent repairs estimated at $257 million.
Key facts
- Judge Christopher R. Cooper ordered removal of Trump's name from Kennedy Center on May 29, 2026.
- The board's December 18, 2025 resolution adding Trump's name was declared null and void.
- Defendants have 14 days to remove all signage and correct official materials.
- Permanent injunction bars any name change without an act of Congress.
- Representative Joyce Beatty filed the lawsuit challenging the name change, voting rights removal, and closure plan.
- The judge ruled ex-officio board members cannot be stripped of voting rights by internal decision.
- The two-year closure for renovations was suspended due to irregular approval process.
- Trump attacked the judge on Truth Social, calling the building 'rusty' and 'rotten.'
Entities
Artists
- Donald Trump
- John F. Kennedy
- Joyce Beatty
- Christopher Cooper
- Edward Durell Stone
- Donald J. Trump
- Christopher R. Cooper
- John Roberts
Institutions
- John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
- Trump Kennedy Center
- National Symphony Orchestra
- Washington National Opera
- Kennedy Center Honors
- Mark Twain Prize
- Truth Social
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. Congress
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- Department of Commerce
- Kennedy Center
- The White House
- US Congress
- Department of Justice
- Supreme Court
- LeJournaldesArts.fr
- Library of Congress
- Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
- Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts
- AIA
- ASLA
- Committee of 100 on the Federal City
- DC Preservation League
- Docomomo US
- National Trust for Historic Preservation
- Society of Architectural Historians
- The Cultural Landscape Foundation
- Cultural Heritage Partners
- Lowell & Associates
- Foley Hoag
- Congress
- Internal Revenue Service
- Justice Department
- Office of Management and Budget
- U.S. District Court
- The Washington Post
- Air Force One
- Getty Images
- AFP
- Trump Kennedy Center Fund
- Commerce Department
- CNN
Locations
- Washington, D.C.
- United States
- Potomac River
- Ohio
- Washington D.C.
- Washington
- Arlington National Cemetery
- Washington, DC