Yes, the Trump name has been removed from the Kennedy Center’s building facade, but the fight over what happens next is far from over. Since June 13, 2026, the letters spelling out Donald Trump’s name have been off the front of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., following a federal court order. However, a tarp and scaffolding have covered that section of the marble facade ever since, and the center’s board has already voted to try to add Trump’s name back in a different form.
How Trump’s Name Got On The Building In The First Place
Trump moved to put his stamp on the Kennedy Center soon after returning to the White House for his second term. He removed board members appointed by former President Joe Biden and installed allies and administration officials in their place. In February 2026, the reshaped board elected Trump as its chairman.
By December 2025, the Kennedy Center’s signage and website had been updated to read “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” The change sparked immediate backlash from artists, former board members, and Kennedy family members, including Kennedy niece Kerry Kennedy, who vowed to have Trump’s name removed once he left office.
Critics pointed to the 1964 law that established the center as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy following his assassination in 1963. That law explicitly prohibits the board of trustees from turning the center into a memorial to anyone else or from adding another person’s name to the building’s exterior.
The Lawsuit And Court Ruling
Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board, filed a lawsuit arguing the board had violated federal law by renaming the venue without congressional approval. In May 2026, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper agreed, ruling that only Congress has the authority to change the Kennedy Center’s name.
“Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” Cooper wrote in his decision, ordering the Trump administration and the board to remove the name within two weeks.
The Trump administration attempted to delay the ruling through the appeals process, but a three-judge appellate panel denied that request in July 2026. The judges found that the board had failed to show it would suffer any real harm if Trump’s name stayed off the building while the appeal played out, rejecting arguments that the removal was hurting fundraising efforts.
When The Name Actually Came Down
The Kennedy Center missed Cooper’s original two-week deadline. Crews finally began removing the letters spelling out “The Donald J. Trump and” from the building’s facade around 3 a.m. on June 13, 2026, just hours after the court-ordered deadline passed. Crowds gathered outside to watch the removal, though workers largely obscured the process behind scaffolding.
Photos obtained by NBC News and The Washington Post later confirmed Trump’s name was gone from the exterior. A sworn court declaration from the center’s executive director, Matt Floca, also confirmed the president’s name was no longer affixed to the building.
Why The Tarp Is Still Up
Even after the letters came down, the Kennedy Center kept a tarp and scaffolding over the area, blocking public view of the restored facade. The center has argued the covering is necessary for ongoing construction, including water testing and structural repairs to the roof overhang.
Beatty’s attorneys have pushed back on that explanation, noting the scaffolding sits roughly 20 feet or more below the soffits in question. They have accused board members of intentionally leaving the tarp up to avoid publicly displaying the building without Trump’s name and of using construction as a pretext to delay compliance with the court order.
The Board’s New Push To Add Trump’s Name Back
In mid-August 2026, the Kennedy Center’s board held a meeting that was expected to focus mainly on plans to close the building for renovations. Instead, the board voted 20-3 to pursue a new way of honoring Trump on the property.
The resolution calls for an inscription beneath the existing Kennedy Center signage reading “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.” The board also voted to rename the plaza in front of the theater complex the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.” Separately, the board backed a plan for a lengthy closure of the main building for renovations, with signature programs like the Kennedy Center Honors and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor potentially moving to off-site venues during the work.
Beatty’s legal team quickly asked Judge Cooper to intervene again, arguing the board’s members “seem intent on defying” his earlier order and calling the new resolution “in naked defiance of the law.”
Where Things Stand As Of August 20, 2026
In a joint court filing submitted on August 19, 2026, the Kennedy Center’s board told the court it has committed to not taking any further action to add Trump’s name back to the building before September 8, 2026, giving legal arguments time to unfold. The center had originally floated an August 27 hold date before extending its commitment to September 8.
Beatty’s lawyers are urging Cooper to rule on the legality of the board’s new resolution before that September 8 deadline, warning there is “every reason to believe” the board will move forward with the inscription and plaza renaming as soon as the window allows. Lawyers representing the Trump administration have disputed those characterizations, telling the court the record will demonstrate “the board’s prudence.”
For now, Trump’s name remains off the Kennedy Center’s exterior, the tarp remains up over the affected section of facade, and the next major decision rests with the federal court ahead of the September 8 date.
Have thoughts on how this legal battle should end? Drop a comment below and check back for updates as the court’s decision approaches.