Judge orders Trump’s name to be removed from Kennedy Center
A US court judge has ordered the removal of US President Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center, evoking another angry reaction from the Republican president.
The Kennedy Center, originally called the National Cultural Center, was renamed in 1964 to honor former Democratic US President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
Kennedy Center Board members voted in December 2025 to change the name to “Trump Kennedy Center” in honor of the incumbent US president.
A federal judge, however, blocked the Kennedy Center from adding Trump’s name, saying that the Washington, D.C. arts complex was named for the late president.
In a ruling on Friday, US District Court Judge Christopher Cooper also temporarily blocked the administration from closing the Kennedy Center for a planned two-year renovation that was slated to begin in July. He ordered that all the signage and online material that refer to the Center as the “Trump Kennedy Center,” or anything similar, must be removed within 14 days.
Judge Cooper wrote in the ruling, “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. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.”
A spokesman for the Kennedy Center responded, saying they are forced to appeal to the court ruling because the institution is in dire straits financially and requires urgent aid for the restoration of the center.
“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.”
Trump also blasted Judge Cooper’s ruling, claiming he would try to cut all government aid allocated to the center.
He said in a post on Truth Social he would work with Congress to relinquish the Trump administration’s responsibility in overseeing the financial and structural situation of the Kennedy Center. “I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into “NEVER NEVER LAND,”“
The center is one of the most prominent arts venues in the United States and plays a notable role in supporting music, theater, and other genres of classical and modern arts.
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