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Judge Orders Kennedy Center Remove “Trump” Name by 2026

6/13/2026

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Summary

Cooper Removes Trump

Judge Christopher Cooper denied the board’s stay request, ordering “Trump” be removed from the Kennedy Center by June 12, 2026.
Cooper’s May 29 order said the name was added illegally and can be changed only by Congress.
The board, appointed by President Donald Trump, voted Thursday to seek a stay after renaming the venue.
Several artists withdrew or resigned.
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) filed the lawsuit that prompted Cooper’s ruling.

Summary

Workers Erect Scaffolding

Workers erected scaffolding around the Kennedy Center bearing President Donald Trump's name on June 12, 2026, by the deadline.
A June 4 memo required signatures to use only the Kennedy Center name, noting that the Center’s website and an email for the June 28 ceremony omitted Donald Trump's name.
The appeal notes the injunction blocks renovations and that the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has not yet ruled on the stay request.

Summary

Trump Named Chairman

The name removal was completed days before President Donald Trump turned 80 on June 14, 2026.
Jean Davidson resigned as director of the Symphony Orchestra to lead the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles.
The Kennedy Center’s board, installed by Trump a month into his second term, named him chairman.
Judge Christopher Cooper barred the administration from shutting the venue for a two-year renovation starting in July.

Summary

Trump Secures Funding

President Donald Trump secured $257 million for Kennedy Center renovations, calling the work vital.
In February 2025 he dismissed the board, named himself chairman, and appointed political allies as trustees.
His Washington plan includes a triumphal arch and a White House ballroom, projects now facing legal challenges.
In a 580-word post he vowed to restore the institution and blamed a judge and the ‘Radical Left’ for wanting it to die.

History

Historical Context

Congress created the National Endowment for the Arts in 1965, but the 1989 Mapplethorpe and Serrano controversies spurred legislative pressure that led the agency to veto four performance artists in June 1990. The Supreme Court upheld the resulting “decency” clause in 1998. Today, similar congressional challenges surface as lawmakers and a judge seek to reverse the Kennedy Center’s Trump naming.

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Cooper Removes Trump

Judge Christopher Cooper denied the board’s stay request, ordering “Trump” be removed from the Kennedy Center by June 12, 2026.
Cooper’s May 29 order said the name was added illegally and can be changed only by Congress.
The board, appointed by President Donald Trump, voted Thursday to seek a stay after renaming the venue.
Several artists withdrew or resigned.
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) filed the lawsuit that prompted Cooper’s ruling.

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