A federal judge ordered the removal of President Donald Trump’s name from a performing arts center in Washington, D.C., ruling that the center’s board acted beyond its authority when it voted to rename the facility since it lacked Congress’s approval.
Friday’s ruling in the U.S. District Court of D.C. comes amid a spate of projects bearing the president’s name, including a proposed new $250 bill, a proposed archway in Arlington, an entryway for a renovated train station in New York City, commemorative passports, a drug discount website, and savings accounts for newborns.
In a 94-page decision, U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper wrote that “because the Defendants are currently in violation of Congress’s express statutory direction,” they must “remove President Trump’s name from the institution’s title, as represented on the façade of the Center, any other physical or digital signage, and official materials.”
Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex officio member of the board, filed the lawsuit.
“Today’s ruling rightly affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in law,” Beatty said in a statement sent to Straight Arrow. “The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump. He has desecrated this sacred memorial for his own vanity. I am proud to have fought for the rule of law and to protect this sacred institution.”
Cooper, who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama and confirmed unanimously by the Senate, wrote that the board “overstepped its statutory bounds” when it renamed the facility after Trump. “Congress,” Cooper went on to write, “took pains to ensure that no other memorial-like dedication would grace the Center’s public space.”
“As a result, the Kennedy Center Board’s decision to rename the Center, along with its decision to affix President Trump’s name to the building’s façade, violate Congress’s unequivocal mandate. As stated at the outset, Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.”
Cooper also blocked the Center’s decision in March to close the facility for what it said were extensive repairs, calling it an “ill-informed and seemingly preordained” decision.
Trump ousted half of the Center’s board of trustees in February 2025. The newly configured board named Trump the board’s president shortly after. It voted in December to add Trump’s name to the organization.
The White House press office referred to Trump’s statement on social media, where the president wrote the ruling came from a judge “appointed by Barack Hussein Obama.” Trump also wrote, “I have instructed the Department of Commerce to make all necessary arrangements with Congress to allow a full and complete transfer of this Institution, giving them the responsibility for its Operation, Maintenance, and Management.”
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