Kennedy Center lawyers have instructed employees to begin removing President Trump's name from the facility immediately, following a federal judge's decision to block the administration's effort to rebrand the institution. The directive, detailed in an internal memo obtained by CBS News, sets a June 12 deadline for scrubbing the president's moniker from email signatures, letterhead, signage, and even furniture.
The memo, sent Thursday by the center's general counsel, orders staff to revert to the venue's original name—"The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" or simply "Kennedy Center." This marks the first concrete step by the arts institution to comply with a court ruling that deemed the controversial name change unlawful, a move approved by the center's Board of Trustees.
U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper ruled last week in favor of Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex officio board member who challenged both the renaming and plans to shutter the center for two years of extensive renovations. In his ruling, Cooper emphasized that the center's founding statute mandates it be named for President Kennedy, and no other formal name can be imposed unilaterally by the board.
"The Kennedy Center's organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board's unilateral say-so," Cooper wrote.
The internal memo also notes that center officials are still "considering their options" regarding whether to proceed with the scheduled $257 million renovation project set to begin July 5. Cooper's ruling did not outright prohibit the closure but required the board to reconsider the decision. "The Court is not persuaded that the closure is categorically unwarranted or impermissible under the U.S. Code," he wrote, adding that his preliminary injunction does not bar the board from revisiting the issue prudently.
Trump lashed out at the judge, saying Cooper should "be ashamed of himself" for blocking the administration's request to rename the center to "The Trump Kennedy Center." The president has aggressively sought to plaster his name and image across federal properties since returning to office. His name has already been added to the exterior of the U.S. Institute of Peace Building, and a large banner of his face now hangs outside Justice Department headquarters. Federal programs like TrumpRx and Trump Accounts also bear his moniker.
The Hill reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment on the memo and the ongoing renovation plans. The ruling and subsequent compliance order underscore the ongoing tension between the Trump administration and institutions bound by statutory naming conventions, a pattern that has extended to other cultural and federal sites.
For more on how the administration has pursued similar branding efforts, see the $5 million regilding of Lincoln Memorial equestrian statues and the $700 million coal rescue package invoking the Defense Production Act.
