U.S. President Donald Trump holds a model of an arch monument during a ballroom dinner in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 15, 2025.
President Donald Trump is famously targeting the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts by demanding that it be renamed to mention him, despite courts repeatedly ruling that he cannot legally do this without congressional authorization. Yet even as he targets America's premiere cultural center, the president also has another legendary institution in his sights — the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).
Also like the Kennedy Center, USIP is applying for legal relief.
"NOT JUST THE KENNEDY CENTER: U.S. Institute of Peace asks for emergency relief to bar any 'plans to carve President Trump’s name into the facade of the iconic USIP headquarters building,'" Politico's Kyle Cheney posted on X on Thursday. He included a screenshot of a legal filing by USIP in which they appealed to the courts to "prevent Appellants or those acting on their behalf from carrying out plans to carve President Trump's name into the façade of the iconic USIP headquarters building."
The document added, "The District Court granted summary judgment in favor of Plaintiffs-Appellees and granted injunctive and declaratory relief, based on its determination that the United States Institute of Peace ('USIP') does not exercise executive power and that the statutory restrictions on removal of board members are constitutional. Since June 2025, all components of the District Court's order—which it issued in furtherance of its judgment that Appellants unlawfully took control of USIP, disposed of its real and personal property worth millions, and took steps to dismantle the organization—have been stayed pending appeal."
It concluded, "The Court's sua sponte order holding the appeal in abeyance following the Supreme Court's grant of review in Trump v. Slaughter had the effect of nullifying the order expediting the government's appeal in light of the stay, and has now extended briefing for almost a full year beyond the end of the original briefing schedule."
USIP has valid reasons to fear Trump will try to sneak in a demolition or defacing of the USIP building. Experts have warned that Trump plans on demolishing the Kennedy Center if he cannot get his name on it, and he already threw a tarp over the building's entrance to conceal when his name was taken down. He similarly destroyed the White House East Wing without legal authorization in order to build a ballroom. Although he claimed the public wanted this, polls show Americans overwhelmingly oppose the ballroom. After he destroyed the East Wing, the White House received over 9,000 pages of public comments, which were almost unanimously negative.
They included statements like "complete DISASTER,” "NO GAUDY FAKE GOLD STUFF ALL OVER THE PLACE,” “no one wants to be in an adjunct building in a large crowd with lengthened security protocols,” "appalling," "an abomination" and an “eyesore.” A Republican lawmaker, Rep. Michael Turner of Ohio, added his voice to the mass protest.
"The stark images of the East Wing demolished in mere days were deeply disturbing to Americans who cherish preservation of our nation's history," Turner told the White House.