WASHINGTON — The U.S. military and contractors overseeing work at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have completed the removal of President Donald Trump’s name from the building and related materials, according to court filings submitted on Saturday, ending a court-ordered effort to restore the venue’s original name.
The removal followed a federal court ruling that found the Kennedy Center’s board lacked authority to rename the institution after Trump and that only Congress can change the name of the national memorial dedicated to former President John F. Kennedy. Workers began taking down exterior signage early Saturday after legal efforts to delay the deadline were rejected by both a district court and an appeals court.
According to filings submitted to U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, Trump’s name has been removed from physical signs, the center’s website, official documents, employee email signatures and promotional materials. Kennedy Center Executive Director Matt Floca told the court that the institution had complied with the order.
Scaffolding and temporary coverings remained in place around part of the facade as crews completed the work. The Kennedy Center had requested a brief extension of the court-imposed deadline, citing delays caused by thunderstorms in the Washington area. The court granted limited additional time before the removal was completed.
The dispute stems from a December 2025 vote by a Trump-aligned Kennedy Center board to rename the venue “The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” Representative Joyce Beatty, an ex officio member of the board, challenged the move in court, arguing that federal law reserves the institution’s name for Kennedy and does not authorize unilateral changes by trustees.
In his ruling last month, Cooper wrote that “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” according to court documents and media reports.
Kennedy Center officials said they were complying with the court order while reviewing their legal options. “We are complying with the court’s order while evaluating all legal options,” Kennedy Center spokeswoman Roma Daravi said in an earlier statement cited by multiple news outlets.
As of Saturday, court filings indicated the removal process had been completed and the institution had reverted to its official name, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. No further court action had been announced publicly.
