Overview
- A federal judge ruled on May 29 that the board illegally added President Trump’s name to the John F. Kennedy Center and gave the center 14 days to remove all references to him.
- The Kennedy Center’s Trump‑appointed board voted Thursday to appeal and filed an emergency motion asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to stay the order while the appeal proceeds.
- The center has begun partial compliance by removing Trump’s name from its website, social accounts and internal materials, but the large marble signage on the building’s facade remains in place and activists have positioned livestreams to record any removal.
- Judge Cooper also blocked a planned two‑year closure for renovations, and the renaming has prompted artist withdrawals, consultant resignations and reported drops in ticketing and fundraising that the board cites in arguing it would suffer irreparable harm if forced to remove the name now.
- The appeals court’s decision on the stay will determine near‑term operations at the Kennedy Center and could establish whether presidentially appointed trustees may unilaterally rename a federally created memorial.