Federal Judge Slams Trump’s Name on Kennedy Center, Orders Immediate Removal

A federal judge has ruled that President Donald Trump cannot attach his name to the Kennedy Center, a decision that strikes at the heart of a controversial renaming effort pushed by a board filled with Trump appointees.

The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted to rename the memorial to John F. Kennedy to include Trump’s name on December 18, 2025. The very next day, Trump’s name was plastered on the building. However, in March, Trump announced via social media that the center would shut down for extensive renovations. This closure came after a slew of performers canceled their shows and ticket sales plummeted following the board's actions.

Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board, filed a lawsuit in December 2025 challenging both the renaming and the two-year closure of the center. Judge Christopher Cooper's ruling released on Friday largely sided with Beatty’s challenge.

Judge Cooper stated, “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.” He emphasized that only Congress has the authority to change the name given to the Kennedy Center.

As a result, Cooper ordered the board to strip President Trump’s name from all signage, including the façade of the Center and any official materials.

Kennedy Center President Matt Floca attempted to preempt Cooper’s ruling with a filing arguing that removing Trump’s name would render the center “financially nonviable.” Cooper dismissed Floca’s claims as lacking factual support and based solely on Floca’s opinion.

Cooper wrote, “[T]here is no competent evidence that removing the Trump name would prevent the Center from fulfilling its artistic mission, as it has done for the last sixty years.”

Trump reacted with a tirade on social media, attacking Judge Cooper and Democrats while claiming he has faced unprecedented unfair treatment from the courts. He stated he would work towards transferring control of the Kennedy Center to Congress.

Trump declared, “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.’” He added that he instructed the Department of Commerce to arrange a complete transfer of control to Congress.

In addition to blocking Trump’s name from being associated with the Kennedy Center, Cooper’s ruling found that the board was “derelict in discharging the full range of its responsibilities” when it voted to close the center for two years starting July 6 for repairs. The judge also ruled that ex officio members like Beatty could not be excluded from voting on such critical decisions.

Cooper suspended the board’s closure order but did not prevent them from proceeding with repairs. The board could still vote to close the center again if they independently assess their obligations prudently.

Trump's push to rename the center began shortly after he took office in 2025. He fired the board chair and removed several trustees while appointing himself as board chair and hiring Richard Grenell as president in February 2025. The new board reconvened in May 2025 and voted to bar ex officio members from voting.

In December, without any debate or discussion, the board unanimously voted to rename the center to include Trump’s name. During this meeting, Beatty was involuntarily muted and unable to voice her objections.

The closure announcement made by Trump on his Truth Social account was reportedly the first time the board learned about it. Floca testified that it was his idea but admitted it was not based on any new assessments or relevant studies despite Trump claiming it followed a year-long review. The collapse in programming due to adding Trump’s name influenced Floca's decision-making process.

Cooper noted Floca considered this a “unique” opportunity for renovations during a lapse in programming and viewed the next two years as an ideal time for such work.

The Kennedy Center opened in 1971 as a national cultural center and memorial to President Kennedy. It hosts numerous artistic events and serves as home to the National Symphony Orchestra. Its closure represents a significant blow to Washington, D.C.'s cultural landscape.