Judge orders removal of Donald Trump's name from Kennedy Center, blocks closure plan; US president blasts ruling

A US federal judge on Friday ordered the removal of President Donald Trump's name from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and blocked plans to temporarily close the venue for a yearslong renovation, ruling that the institution's board exceeded its legal authority on both counts.

US District Judge Christopher Cooper directed officials to remove within 14 days all signage bearing Trump's name and eliminate references to a "Trump Kennedy Center" or the "Donald J Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" from official materials.

In a 94-page opinion, Cooper concluded that the Kennedy Center board had "overstepped its statutory bounds" by unilaterally adding Trump's name to the institution. The judge said the law establishing the centre made it "crystal clear" that it is to be named for former President John F Kennedy and cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based solely on a board decision.

"Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it," Cooper wrote. He also permanently barred the institution from displaying, installing or maintaining physical or digital signage suggesting that it is named after anyone other than Kennedy.

Cooper further ruled that the board's March 16 vote to close the centre for a prolonged renovation was "ill-informed and seemingly preordained," finding no evidence that trustees had adequately considered how the institution would continue fulfilling its statutory obligations during a lengthy shutdown. While allowing renovation work to proceed, the judge said any future closure would have to account for the Kennedy Center's full legislative mandate.

Trump blasted the ruling in a lengthy social media post, calling it "shockingly" flawed and accusing Judge Christopher Cooper, whom he identified as an appointee of former President Barack Obama, of preventing much-needed renovations at a facility he described as suffering from years of "neglect, decay, and poor maintenance."

Trump argued that the closure was necessary to carry out large-scale construction work and said the Kennedy Center's board had unanimously voted to add his name to the institution. He further claimed the centre had lost hundreds of millions of dollars over the years and accused "Radical Left Democrats" of caring more about opposing him than preserving the performing arts venue. Calling the building structurally unsafe, Trump said experts had warned of "rotting beams," potential parking structure failures and other safety concerns, but that the judge was not "swayed."

"Judge Cooper should be ashamed of himself," Trump wrote, adding that he had directed the Department of Commerce to work with Congress on transferring responsibility for the institution's operation, maintenance and management.

This comes after a December 2025 decision by the Kennedy Center's board of trustees to rename the venue the "Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts." The move sparked opposition from lawmakers, historians and members of the Kennedy family, who argued that only Congress had the authority to alter the name of the congressionally established memorial.

The, in February this year, plans to shut the Kennedy Center for two years of renovations were first announced by Trump, after the which the board formally approved the proposal in a unanimous March 16 vote, with the closure after the July 4 celebrations.

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