Judge rejects bid to put Trump's name on Kennedy Center building
The judge ruled that memorials for President Donald Trump at the Kennedy Center cannot be installed without approval from Congress.
Judge blocks effort to place Trump’s name on Kennedy Center building
A US judge has stopped the Kennedy Center board from restoring President Donald Trump’s name to the performing arts building, saying Congress must approve the move.
In May, the same judge ordered Trump’s name removed from the building and also barred its temporary closure for the president’s planned renovations.
The board, chaired by the president and made up of his cabinet members and allies, passed a resolution in August calling for the words “Renovated and Restored by President Donald J. Trump” to be inscribed on the building.
The judge said the inscription including Trump’s name could be added if his administration raises $100m (£75m) for the venue.
Trump announced last year that his name would be added to the institution, along with other rebranding changes across the nation’s capital.
In February 2025, he replaced several trustees on the centre’s board and named himself as a trustee before being elected as the arts centre’s chairman.