A federal judge has ruled that Donald Trump’s name must be removed from the Kennedy Center, saying the renaming violated US law.
The Kennedy Center board had voted in December 2025 to rename the venue “The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” but the court found the board had no authority to do so without Congress approval. Judge Christopher Cooper ordered that all signage and official references to Trump be removed within 14 days, stating that only Congress can change the institution’s name.
The lawsuit was brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty, who claimed the vote process was flawed, with microphones allegedly muted and the decision misrepresented as unanimous—claims also supported by JFK’s grandson Jack Schlossberg.
The ruling also blocked a separate plan to shut the Kennedy Center for renovations. The Center says it will appeal the decision.