A US judge has ordered the removal of Donald Trump's name from the title of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, triggering a defiant response from the US President. The ruling follows a tumultuous year for the venue, which has faced widespread artist boycotts and cancellations since the board voted to rename the institution the 'Trump-Kennedy Center' last December.
On Friday (May 29), a federal judge ruled that the Washington DC venue cannot be renamed without explicit congressional approval. Consequently, the institution must remove Trump's name from its title, façade, and all official signage within 14 days. According to BBC News, a spokesperson for the centre has indicated that they intend to appeal the decision.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump expressed his frustration, stating that he would be working with Congress to transfer the institution back to them. "Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into 'NEVER NEVER LAND'," he wrote.
NOW: A federal judge has ordered that Donald Trump’s name be removed from the Kennedy Center and that officials halt their plan to close the venue for two years.
“The Kennedy Center’s organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and… pic.twitter.com/kWJAbn43dC
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) May 29, 2026
The venue, which was originally named in 1971 to honor the assassinated President John F. Kennedy, will now revert to its original title. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama-era appointee, emphasized the legal constraints surrounding the name change. "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. "Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it."
Trump criticized the ruling on social media, claiming that "Judge Cooper and the Radical Left would rather see it DIE than have President Trump transform it into something that everyone could be proud of."
The controversy is the latest in a series of challenges for the venue. Last year, Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz joined a growing list of artists boycotting the center, arguing it no longer represented an "apolitical place for free artistic expression." Additionally, the venue has faced public scrutiny and trolling, including an incident where South Park writer Toby Morton purchased the 'Trump-Kennedy Center' domain names.
The legal battle coincides with ongoing protests surrounding Trump's broader cultural initiatives, including the 'Freedom 250' celebration at the Great American State Fair, which has also seen numerous artists withdraw from the lineup.