The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. — the United States' national performing arts venue — has directed its staff to remove all references to President Donald Trump's name from its communications and physical signage by June 12, following a federal court ruling that found the renaming was illegal.
The center's office of the general counsel issued a memo on Thursday instructing staff to immediately drop Trump's name from email signatures, letterhead, and other documents, replacing it with "The Kennedy Center" or its full official name. All brochures, website pages, and physical signage — including lettering added to the building's facade — must also be updated by the June 12 deadline. "The court ruled that the board acted beyond its authority in adding President Trump's name to the Center," the memo stated. Roma Daravi, the center's vice president of public relations, said the institution is "complying with the court's order while evaluating all legal options."
The dispute stems from decisions made after Trump replaced much of the Kennedy Center's board of trustees in early 2025, saying the institution had become "too woke." The reconstituted board voted unanimously in December 2025 to rename the building "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts," with new lettering installed on the facade. The Kennedy family publicly condemned the move, with Kerry Kennedy writing that Trump "stands in opposition" to the values her father represented.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, ruling on May 29, found that the center's founding statutes make clear it must be named for President John F. Kennedy and cannot be given a different formal name through a unilateral board decision. The ruling also addressed the board's separate vote to close the facility for two years for renovations, which the judge found was "ill-informed" and made without adequate consultation. Trump subsequently said he was stepping back from the renovation plans and would transfer oversight of the center back to Congress, framing the move as a response to what he called obstruction by "radical-left Democrats."
The Kennedy Center, which opened in 1971 and serves as both a major cultural institution and a living memorial to the assassinated 35th president, remains open for now. The memo noted the center is still "considering its options" regarding any future renovation closure, suggesting further legal and administrative wrangling may lie ahead.