Judge Orders Trump Administration to Explain Kennedy Center Tarp

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to explain why a tarp was placed over the Kennedy Center's facade after Donald Trump's name was removed under a court order. US District Judge Christopher Cooper demanded a report by July 31 on the purpose and status of the tarp and scaffolding. The tarp was installed during a predawn operation this month to strip Trump's name, which Cooper had ruled was unlawfully added in December. The order came in a lawsuit by Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty, a Kennedy Center board member, who called the tarp an 'act of petty defiance.' Beatty's lawyers argued the 'semi-permanent tarp' obscuring John F. Kennedy's name appears to be an effort to frustrate the restoration of the status quo. Representative Jamie Raskin referred to it as 'a literal coverup.' The Trump administration has appealed Cooper's order to remove Trump's name and block a planned two-year closure for renovations starting July 4. The Kennedy Center's general counsel issued a memo ordering all references to 'Trump Kennedy Center' removed by June 12, 2026. Cooper's ruling stated the venue cannot be renamed without an act of Congress, as its organic statute names it for President Kennedy.