Judge orders Trump's name removed from Kennedy Center immediately

A US federal judge has ordered the removal of President Donald Trump’s name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., after the Trump administration’s eleventh-hour legal bid to block the decision was rejected on Friday. Judge Christopher Cooper of the US District Court for the District of Columbia upheld his May 29 ruling that only Congress possesses the constitutional authority to rename the iconic cultural institution, effectively ending the administration’s attempt to inscribe Trump’s name on the building’s facade.

On Friday, construction crews began the process of stripping Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center’s exterior, a development that was broadcast live by several international outlets. The decision follows a series of legal setbacks for the Trump administration, which had sought a temporary stay to delay the removal while pursuing further appeals. Those efforts were rebuffed late Thursday, when the same judge denied the administration’s request to suspend the order, confirming that the name must be removed immediately.

The Kennedy Center confirmed in a statement that it had requested additional time to complete the removal process after missing an initial deadline imposed by the court. A spokesperson for the institution told reporters that work was underway to comply with the judicial order, though no precise timeline for completion was provided.

The legal dispute traces back to an executive action taken by President Trump in April 2026, when he signed a directive unilaterally renaming the Kennedy Center in his own honor. The move sparked widespread criticism from lawmakers, cultural figures, and legal scholars, who argued that the president had overstepped his constitutional authority. In his ruling, Judge Cooper emphasized that the power to rename federal buildings and institutions resides exclusively with Congress, a principle that has been consistently upheld in prior cases.

The decision comes amid a broader pattern of legal reversals for the Trump administration, which has faced multiple courtroom defeats in recent weeks. On Friday, a separate federal judge ordered the reinstatement of informational displays and exhibits in national parks and monuments that had been removed under Trump’s directives, ruling that the removals constituted censorship. Legal experts suggest that these rulings may signal a growing judicial skepticism toward the administration’s use of executive power to reshape federal institutions.

As the name is physically removed from the Kennedy Center, the episode underscores the limits of presidential authority in the face of judicial review—a recurring theme in Trump’s second term. The administration has not indicated whether it plans to appeal the decision to a higher court, but legal observers note that further challenges are likely. For now, the Kennedy Center stands poised to reclaim its original identity, free of the controversy that has surrounded it for the past two months.