Judge blocks Trump's attempt to rename and close Washington's Kennedy Center

A federal judge has halted President Donald Trump's efforts to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington after himself and to close the venue for two years for renovations. U.S. District Judge Casey Cooper issued a two-week order to remove Trump's name, which had been placed on the building's facade months earlier, and temporarily blocked the planned summer closure for renovations.

Judge Cooper stated that the law establishing the center "makes it absolutely clear" that it must bear the name of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963. The judge based his decision on what he described as a "unilateral decision" by the institution's management, which is currently controlled by Trump appointees.

Trump reacted strongly to the ruling on his social media platform, Truth Social. He asserted that the judge "should be ashamed of himself" and accused the left of preferring the cultural center to "die before allowing President Trump to transform it into something everyone can be proud of."

The Kennedy Center had planned to close its doors starting July 4th for extensive renovations. However, the announcement of these works coincided with a drop in ticket sales and a boycott by several artists. The closure, now halted by the judge, threatened the institution's viability. Since February 2025, following Trump's return to the White House, numerous artists have canceled performances at the theater after Trump dismissed the center's top executives to replace them with Republican Party members.