Lawyers for the national arts hub currently known as the Trump Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have ordered staff to immediately begin stripping Donald Trump’s name from the facility. The directive, issued in an internal memo sent Thursday by the center’s general counsel, was first reported by CBS News. It marks the first official step by the institution to comply with a federal court order requiring it to revert to its original title.
The directive follows a ruling last week by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper. The judge ruled in favor of Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, a member of the Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees, who filed a lawsuit challenging both the recent name change and a controversial plan to shut down the center for two years of extensive renovations.
Judge Cooper determined that the board had overstepped its legal authority. He ordered that the president’s name be removed from “the institution’s title, as represented on the façade of the Center, any other physical or digital signage, and official materials.”
According to the memo obtained by CBS News, “must immediately change email signatures, letterhead, and other documents to reflect the name as ‘The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,’ or ‘Kennedy Center.'” Staff members have until next Friday to alter all physical interior and exterior signage, as well as any furniture bearing the temporary name. The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The naming dispute traces back to the early weeks of Trump’s second term, when he replaced several members of the center’s Board of Trustees with senior administration officials and close allies, who subsequently elected him as chair. In December, the board voted to change the institution’s official name to The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
The website was quickly updated to read “The Trump Kennedy Center” and crews altered the building’s facade, though lawmakers and legal scholars argued that changing the name of the national monument required congressional action. The decision prompted several scheduled artists to cancel performances, and the executive director of the National Symphony resigned.
Beyond the name change, the court ruling throws a wrench into a scheduled $257 million renovation project. The memo notes that center officials are still “considering their options and will provide further guidance shortly” on whether the facility will close as planned on July 5 for the two-year repair project.
While Judge Cooper agreed that renovations to the arts center are “sorely needed,” he noted that his preliminary injunction does not entirely block a temporary closure, provided the board re-evaluates the decision properly.
“By way of this opinion, the Court does not purport to dictate how the Center should be run, nor does it prescribe any particular plan for the institution — construction, closure, or otherwise — moving forward,” Cooper wrote in his order. “It simply holds the Kennedy Center Board to certain minimum requirements imposed by law. Beyond that, the Court will let the parties play on.”
READ: Pennsylvania Sen. Fetterman Predicts More Scandals For Maine Candidate Covered In Controversial Ink
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
