The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, recently reconstituted under former President Donald Trump’s direction, has filed a request to postpone a judicial order requiring the removal of Trump’s name from the institution. The move comes ahead of a Friday deadline set by a federal court for the removal of the name.
On May 29, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that only Congress has the authority to change the Kennedy Center’s name and directed the removal of Trump’s name from the venue. Cooper also barred the Trump administration from closing the center for a planned two-year renovation scheduled to begin in July. In response, the Kennedy Center board, which Trump installed after ousting the prior leadership early in his second presidential term, voted on Thursday to seek a stay of the ruling. The formal motion was filed late that day, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke anonymously due to the private nature of the meeting.
The request to delay compliance with the court’s order represents a reversal from earlier actions by the center’s legal team. A memo dated June 4 instructed staff to remove Trump’s name from email signatures, letterhead, and other official documents, directing use of the original title, "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" or simply the "Kennedy Center." In practice, the center’s website no longer displays Trump’s name, and a recent email promoting ticket packages for the Mark Twain Award for American Humor event on June 28 was sent without including Trump’s name.
Critics have described the board’s last-minute effort as a desperate attempt to circumvent the court’s decision. Norm Eisen, a board member at Democracy Defenders Action, and Nathaniel Zelinsky, senior counsel at the Washington Litigation Group, both involved in the litigation on behalf of Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, characterized the move as lacking legal grounds. Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board, initiated the lawsuit to remove Trump’s name, arguing that the naming change violated federal law by bypassing Congressional authority.
Following his reelection, Trump dramatically reshaped the Kennedy Center’s governance structure by installing a handpicked board of trustees, naming himself chairman, and appointing Richard Grenell as president until March, when Matt Floca took over the role. Under this leadership, the center has shifted its programming to include events favorable to Trump’s interests, such as the premiere of Melania Trump’s documentary “Melania.” The board also announced the renaming of the facility as the “Trump Kennedy Center” and physically affixed Trump’s name to the building’s exterior—actions challenged by lawmakers and scholars who emphasize that only Congress can legally authorize such changes.