Kennedy Center Employees Directed to Remove Trump's Name Following Court Ruling

<p>Employees at the Kennedy Center have been instructed to remove President Donald Trump's name from official communications, branding materials, and signage following a federal court ruling that blocked efforts to rename the institution after the president.</p><p>Staffers were directed on June 1, 2026, to begin removing Trump's name from email signatures, letterhead, press releases, social media accounts, voicemail greetings, and other official materials, according to an internal memo obtained by Politico.</p><p>The memo sets a June 12 deadline to update signage, brochures, website pages, identification cards, forms, and other materials that currently reference Trump.</p><p>Employees were instructed to refer to the institution only as "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" or simply the "Kennedy Center." </p><p>The directive follows a ruling by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who stated that the Kennedy Center's board lacked the legal authority to add Trump's name to the institution. "Congress named the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for President John F. Kennedy by federal statute," Cooper wrote in his decision. "The Center may not be officially named for anyone else except by an Act of Congress." </p><p>The ruling represents a setback to one of Trump's efforts to reshape the nation’s premier performing arts venue.</p><p>The White House announced in December 2025 that the Kennedy Center's board had voted unanimously to rename the institution the "Trump-Kennedy Center," arguing that the move recognized Trump's role in restoring the facility's finances, reputation, and infrastructure. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that trustees believed the president's leadership had helped save the institution.</p><p>The vote followed Trump's overhaul of the center's leadership, during which he removed several board members and replaced them with allies who subsequently elected him chairman of the board.</p><p>After the vote, Trump's name appeared on the institution's website and exterior signage. Justice Department attorneys later acknowledged in court filings that some signage appeared to have been prepared before the board formally approved the name change.</p><p>The renaming effort faced backlash from Democrats, members of the Kennedy family, and arts advocates who argued that the center was established by Congress as a living memorial to the late President John F. Kennedy and could not be legally renamed without congressional approval.</p><p>Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), who serves as an ex officio member of the board through her position in Congress, filed suit shortly after the vote. "Only Congress has the authority to rename the Kennedy Center. President Trump and his cronies must not be allowed to trample federal law and bypass Congress to feed his ego," Beatty stated when the lawsuit was filed.</p><p>The memo suggests Kennedy Center leadership is complying with Cooper's ruling while weighing possible next steps. "We are complying with the court's order while evaluating all legal options to preserve this revitalization and recognize President Trump's leadership," Kennedy Center spokeswoman Roma Daravi told the Associated Press.</p><p>The memo also addressed a separate portion of Cooper's ruling that blocked the board's plans to close the center for two years during a major renovation project. While the court temporarily halted those plans, center officials indicated they are continuing to evaluate their options.</p><p>The White House has signaled it may continue fighting the decision. The Justice Department has pledged to defend Trump's authority over the center's operations, while Trump himself has criticized the ruling and suggested he could step away from his efforts to remake the institution if he is prevented from exercising authority over its future direction.</p>