The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has removed President Donald Trump’s name from its website and official materials, complying with a federal court order that found the institution lacked the authority to rename the congressionally established memorial without approval from Congress.
The move follows a ruling by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who determined that the Kennedy Center’s board exceeded its authority when it voted in December 2025 to rename the institution. The decision required the center to restore its original name and remove references to Trump from signage, websites and promotional materials.
“We are complying with the court’s order while evaluating all legal options,” Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi said after the ruling.
The renaming effort kicked off a legal battle over who has the power to alter the identity of one of the nation’s most prominent cultural institutions. Opponents argued that the board, whose members included Trump appointees, lacked the authority to change the name of a national memorial established by Congress to honor President John F. Kennedy. The dispute widened in February when Trump announced plans to close the center for renovations, prompting additional legal challenges from critics who said the move threatened the future of the institution.
Cooper rejected both actions, ruling that federal law did not permit the board to rename the Kennedy Center and that the proposed closure also lacked legal justification. The decision was welcomed by arts advocates, former Kennedy Center officials and others who argued that major changes to the institution required congressional approval.
Meanwhile, several artists publicly criticized the renaming effort, some performers distanced themselves from the institution and questions emerged about the center’s direction after reports of declining ticket sales and uncertainty about its future programming.
Former Kennedy Center curator Josef Palermo, who spent more than 20 years at the institution before being laid off in March, said the center faces a difficult path forward. Palermo said many employees initially hoped the leadership transition would be manageable but instead witnessed what he described as “cronyism, incompetence, and a series of bizarre moves that would lead to the Kennedy Center going dark.” Palermo argued that restoring confidence among artists, patrons and audiences will be essential if the institution is to regain its footing.
The legal battle also produced a separate victory for jazz musician Chuck Redd, who withdrew from a scheduled Kennedy Center performance after objecting to the effort to rename the institution and was subsequently sued by the center for allegedly violating a performance agreement. A judge dismissed the lawsuit, finding there was no enforceable contract between the parties, ending one of the most closely watched side disputes connected to the broader fight over the Kennedy Center’s future.
U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an official member of the Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees by virtue of her position in Congress, filed suit after the Trump-appointed board voted to rename the institution in December 2025. She later amended the lawsuit after Trump announced plans to close the center for renovations.
“Today’s ruling rightly affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in law,” Beatty said. “The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump. He has desecrated this sacred memorial for his own vanity. I am proud to have fought for the rule of law and to protect this sacred institution.”
