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The Kennedy Center informed a federal court late Tuesday that efforts to reinstate President Donald Trump’s name on the performing arts venue’s exterior will not move forward before at least September 8. The delay comes as the institution navigates competing legal pressures regarding the building’s future and its branding decisions.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper previously ordered the removal of Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center’s facade in May, ruling that letters spelling out his name had been affixed illegally. A tarp currently covers the area where the signage once appeared, though the Kennedy Center has made no commitment to removing it.
Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex officio board member, has challenged the institution’s recent actions through her attorneys. They contend that board members “seem intent” on defying Cooper’s earlier directive and warn the judge that restoration efforts could begin immediately after the September 8 date without additional court intervention.
During an August board meeting ostensibly focused on renovation options, members passed a resolution to name the plaza after Trump and add his name to the facade alongside the Kennedy Center’s traditional designation. The proposed text would read “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.”
The board simultaneously voted to proceed with a two-year complete closure for renovations, moving signature events including the Kennedy Center Honors and the Mark Twain Prize to off-site locations. The National Symphony Orchestra announced it would distribute its upcoming season across six venues in the Washington area.
Beatty’s legal team questioned the integrity of the board’s voting process, noting that materials were distributed only two days before the meeting and some documents appeared to predate Cooper’s May ruling. They argued the August vote exhibits the same procedural flaws the judge identified in a previous March closure vote he characterized as “ill-informed and seemingly preordained.”
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