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A federal appeals court on Wednesday declined to let President Trump’s name return to the facade of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, ruling it must stay down while the institution appeals a lower court’s removal order. The decision was first reported by The New York Times.
At issue is whether a board of Trump allies had authority to rebrand the landmark as the “Trump Kennedy Center” – a change that saw his name mounted in marble for roughly six months. In May, a district court judge found the move unlawful, ruling that only Congress can rename an institution dedicated as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. The center removed the lettering after an earlier bid to pause the order failed, screening the work behind scaffolding and tarps.
On Wednesday, the three-judge panel again refused to freeze the order, writing that the center had shown no concrete evidence the removal would cause financial harm and that costs already spent taking the letters down could not be recovered. The center had argued the Trump name was vital to its finances, citing donors it said would give only with “Trump” on the building.
The fight stems from a lawsuit by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and board member opposed to the administration’s takeover. The same judge also blocked a Trump plan to close the center for two years for a $257 million renovation, and the board is expected to weigh its options in mid-July. For now, the center says it remains open, though its performance calendar is sparse.
