Kennedy Center Removes Trump Name After Court Order; Board Appeals

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington has removed Donald Trump's name from its facade, complying with a court order issued on May 29. The judge ruled that the center's board, reportedly composed of Trump allies, did not have the authority to alter the institution's name, which was established by Congress.

The court gave the board two weeks to remove the name, emphasizing that the law creating the center clearly states it must bear the name of President John F. Kennedy, assassinated in 1963. The judge's decision was based on what was described as a "unilateral decision" by the institution's leadership.

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The law that created the center 'makes it absolutely clear' that it must bear the name of President John F. Kennedy... and that it cannot bear any other name.

In a last-minute appeal filed Thursday night, the Kennedy Center's board sought to prevent the removal of Trump's name. The ruling also blocked the center's planned closure for renovations starting July 4, a decision the board has also appealed. Previously, the center had removed Trump's name from its website earlier in the week as a preliminary step.

Trump himself reacted strongly to the initial ruling, stating the judge should be ashamed and accusing the left of wanting the cultural center to "die" rather than allow him to transform it. Since February 2025, following Trump's potential return to the White House, numerous artists have canceled performances at the venue after the center's leadership was replaced with members of the Republican Party or those associated with the MAGA movement.

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Trump, for his part, reacted to the ruling two weeks ago that ordered the removal of his name with harshness and assured that the judge 'should be ashamed of himself,' while accusing the left of preferring that the cultural center 'die before allowing President Trump to transform it into something everyone can be proud of.'