Kennedy Center Board Fights Court Order to Strip Trump's Name

The Kennedy Center’s board isn’t backing down. Even after a federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump’s name was illegally added to the building, the institution’s Board of Trustees voted to fight the decision—seeking a stay of U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper’s May 29 ruling and arguing they have strong enough grounds for appeal.

Here’s the tension: Judge Cooper determined that only Congress, not the board, has the authority to change the center’s name. That’s a pretty clear legal line. Yet the Kennedy Center is leaning hard into the argument that removing Trump’s name would be wasteful and confusing for the public. Meanwhile, Trump’s name has already been scrubbed from the center’s official website, voicemail, and YouTube channel—so the“confusion”argument starts to feel a bit thin.

Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, who originally filed the lawsuit to remove the name, isn’t impressed. Her representatives called the board’s move an act of“desperation,”noting they have“no legal leg to stand on.”Legal experts backing Beatty—including Norm Eisen of Democracy Defenders Action and Nathaniel Zelinsky of the Washington Litigation Group—promise vigorous opposition to what they’re calling a“ploy.”

This whole saga started last December when the board voted to rename the institution the Trump-Kennedy Center, a decision that set off immediate backlash. Maria Shriver, a member of the Kennedy family, took to Instagram to express her dismay, saying the move was“beyond comprehension”and calling it“downright weird”and“obsessive.”She emphasized that President John F. Kennedy was a champion of the arts and culture—a legacy worth preserving untainted.

The White House, naturally, sees it differently. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt praised Trump’s“unbelievable work”in“saving the building”through reconstruction efforts and financial support, framing the dual naming as a celebration rather than an ego grab.

What we’re watching here is a classic institutional clash: a board trying to cement a decision against judicial authority and public sentiment. The court has spoken, but the Kennedy Center board’s refusal to accept that verdict suggests this fight isn’t over yet.