A panel of three judges has decided that Donald Trump is not allowed to reattach his name to the Kennedy Center’s white marble exterior while an appeal regarding its removal is ongoing.
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied a request from the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees, led by Trump, to maintain the president’s name on the institution during the appeal against a previous ruling that mandated the removal of his name.
Earlier this year, the venue was renamed The Donald J Trump and The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a change deemed unlawful by US District Judge Christopher Cooper in May. He stated that only Congress holds the authority to rename the center and instructed the removal of Trump’s name.
Following unsuccessful attempts to block the ruling, the Trump administration complied, leading to the removal of the president’s name from the building’s façade and signage last month, which is now concealed from public view under a tarp.
In their Wednesday ruling, the judges stated that the board’s plea did not demonstrate how they would suffer irreparable harm if Trump’s name remains off the building throughout the appeal process.
Although the board argued that the removal could hinder fundraising efforts, the judges found this claim lacking specific facts or evidence to support it.
When Trump assumed office in 2025, he replaced the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees, who then appointed him as chairman.
The lawsuit was initiated by Joyce Beatty, a Democratic representative from Ohio and a member of the Kennedy Center board.
Reacting to the recent ruling, Congresswoman Beatty emphasized that the administration’s attempts to rename the Kennedy Center were unlawful and expressed relief that Trump’s name no longer defiles the memorial, urging compliance with the law and the removal of the tarps.
Last month, spectators gathered at the center’s plaza in anticipation of witnessing the removal of the signage, but it remained hidden by a tarp on the scaffolding erected for the task.
