A United States federal judge has ordered that President Donald Trump’s name be removed from the title of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, ruling that the Washington, DC venue cannot be renamed without congressional approval.
District Judge Christopher Cooper also blocked the centre’s planned temporary closure tied to proposed renovations, issuing a 94-page opinion in which he said the institution’s naming rights are governed by law and cannot be altered unilaterally by its board.
According to the ruling, Trump’s name must be removed from the institution’s official title, façade, signage, and all physical or digital materials within 14 days.
The decision effectively restores the venue’s original designation as the John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, named in honour of former US President John F Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963.
Trump last year introduced sweeping changes at the institution, including adding his name to the centre and pushing through a rebranding effort across parts of Washington.
In February 2025, he replaced several trustees, later appointing himself as a trustee and being selected as chairman of the arts centre’s board.
By December, the board had approved a rename that added Trump’s full name to the institution, with new signage installed shortly after on the centre’s front portico.
The move was followed by cancellations from artists and declining ticket sales.
In February, Trump also announced a two-year closure of the venue for extensive renovations beginning 4 July 2026, which he said would be “in honour of the 250th Anniversary of our Country”.
Board member Joyce Beatty and other former trustees challenged the changes in court, arguing they were unlawfully stripped of their voting rights and that the closure plan exceeded the board’s authority.
Reacting to the ruling, Trump posted on social media that he will “be working with Congress to transfer this failing Institution back to them”.
He also wrote, “Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into ‘NEVER NEVER LAND’.”
A spokesperson for the centre said they would appeal the decision, defending the board’s actions.
In a statement, Joyce Beatty said: “Today’s ruling rightly affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in law.”
She added, “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.”
Responding for the centre, spokesperson Roma Daravi told CBS News: “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.”
Daravi said they will also review the judge’s decision on the renovations closure.
“[T]hough the reality remains – the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration – a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges,” Daravi 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.”
Judge Cooper wrote that “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” adding that the institution’s statute makes clear it must remain named for President Kennedy.
