A US District Judge has ruled that only Congress can rename the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, forcing the removal of President Donald Trump's name from the venue.
US District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled on May 29 that only Congress could rename the arts centre. The wall of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is covered in tarp after President Donald Trump 's name was removed, in Washington on Jun 13, 2026.
Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Center early on Saturday , less than six months after it went up, complying with a judge's ruling that the performing arts landmark The work began around 1.20am, hours after the Department of Justice said the government would miss the court-ordered deadline of 11.59pm on Friday to take Trump's name off the Washington venue, created a half-century ago to honour an assassinated president.
The centre's board, which Trump chairs, voted in December to rename it The Donald J Trump and The John FAfter erecting scaffolding late on Friday, workers draped tarps over the temporary structure in the predawn hours and were seen removing letters around 3.10am in an operation that took about 30 minutes. Late on Friday, the DOJ had said in a court filing it would miss the deadline because of thunderstorms that could pose safety risks for the workers, seeking a 12-hour extension.
Protesters wave a US flag and hold a sign reading "you're no JFK" as workers build scaffolding near the signage for the "Donald J Trump and John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" in Washington, DC, on June 12, 2026. Democratic US Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, who brought the lawsuit that forced Trump's name to be removed, called the request to extend the two-week-old deadline"inexcusable" and part of"a pattern of non-compliance", according to the DOJ filing.
, a Democrat assassinated in 1963. Trump, a Republican, has packed its board of trustees with allies since resuming office last year. US District Judge Christopher Cooper said he would not lift the order while a federal appeals court considers his ruling that only Congress could rename the venue. The administration appealed that order to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which also rejected the government's request for a pause on Friday.
Demonstrators sit outside The Kennedy Center on Jun 13, 2026, in Washington, DC. Cooper ruled on May 29 that only Congress could rename the arts centre. His order had required Trump's name to be removed from the building's facade, its website and other materials.
In urging the appeals court to pause the order, the DOJ said:"It does not make sense to alter the Center’s name and signage now, only to potentially revert the name again after what should be a successful appeal.
" Trump in February announced a two-year closure of the centre for a major renovation. He has made a broader push to reshape Washington's monumental core, including plans for a 75m arch and a 8,400 sq m ballroom on the site of the East Wing of the White House, which Trump had demolished in October.
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