The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has removed references to President Trump from its official website and YouTube channel, complying with a federal court order that the board lacked the authority to rename the venue in his honor. The move, carried out Monday, also saw Trump’s name dropped from formal invitations to the center’s annual honors ceremony.
However, the president’s name remains visible on the center’s Instagram, Facebook, and X accounts, a partial compliance that suggests the institution is still weighing its legal options. The selective removal comes after U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper issued a 94-page ruling last week, ordering the center to erase Trump’s name from all official communications and signage by June 12.
The lawsuit was brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex-officio board member, who argued that the Trump administration’s push to add the president’s name to the venue violated the congressional mandate that established the center as a memorial for the late President John F. Kennedy. Cooper agreed, writing that Congress gave the center its name and only Congress can change it.
Court’s Rationale
“Congress likewise took pains to ensure that no other memorial-like dedication would grace the Center’s public spaces,” Cooper wrote in his ruling. “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.” The judge added, “As stated at the outset, Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.”
The Kennedy Center said it intends to comply with the order while evaluating its legal options. “We are complying with the court’s order while evaluating all legal options to preserve this revitalization and recognize President Trump’s leadership,” Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president of public relations, previously told The Hill. The center’s board had approved the renaming and a two-year closure for renovations, but that plan was also blocked by the courts.
The president has pushed back on other recent court rulings, including one that stopped the administration from shutting down the venue for the planned upgrades. The political tension around the center mirrors broader partisan divides over Trump’s use of federal institutions, as seen in the plummeting public trust in the CDC under his administration.
Political Fallout
The dispute has become a flashpoint in the ongoing clash between the Trump administration and the judiciary, with the president’s allies framing the court’s intervention as an overreach. Meanwhile, Democrats like Beatty have hailed the ruling as a defense of congressional prerogatives and the legacy of JFK. The case also echoes other legal battles, such as the challenge by 35 retired federal judges against Trump's IRS settlement.
As the June 12 deadline approaches, the Kennedy Center faces pressure to fully comply or risk further legal action. The partial removal of Trump’s name from digital platforms suggests a cautious approach, as the center navigates both the court order and the political currents surrounding the president. The controversy adds to the mounting political heat Trump faces on multiple fronts, from foreign policy to domestic institutions.
For now, the Kennedy Center remains a symbol of the ongoing struggle over how—and whether—to honor a sitting president within a memorial dedicated to another. The outcome will likely set a precedent for how other federally designated memorials handle similar attempts at renaming.
