U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a visit to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 13, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The staff of the Kennedy Center has been told to remove President Donald Trump's name from the artifice of the building, even before the president files an appeal, the Washington Postreported on Thursday.
Per CBS News, the Kennedy Center's lawyer wrote to staff that they “must immediately change email signatures, letterhead, and other documents to reflect the name as ‘The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,’ or ‘Kennedy Center.'”
The lawyer goes on to say, “The Court ruled that the Board acted beyond its authority in adding President Trump’s name to the Center and gave the Center 14 days from May 29 to remove all references to the Center being named for anyone other than John F. Kennedy."
The deadline is June 12, the lawyer's memo also said.
A federal court ruled last week that the statute that established the Performing Arts Center did so as a monument to the assassinated president.
"...it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board’s unilateral say-so,” Judge Christopher R. Cooper ruled.
Trump is known for appealing to lower courts that decide against him, though he wrote on Truth Social that he would be "transfer[ing]" the building "back" to Congress. It was never transferred to Trump to begin with.
"They can make a determination as to what to do with it," Trump wrote.
The Post said that the Kennedy Center lawyers told staff they must comply with the ruling and begin removing the sign, as well as all other branding with Trump's name.
The center was also scheduled to close on July 7, after the "America 250" events and it would remain closed for the rest of Trump's term due to "renovations," Trump alleged.
After Trump's name was added to the building, those scheduled to perform withdrew their names. The result was that there was no season for the Kennedy Center to announce for 2026-2027, CNN reported in February. Several actors, singers, bands, composers, comedians and other performers are withdrawing from show commitments because they don't support Trump. After Trump announced that the center would be closing, he was ridiculed on social media.
Trump made himself the chairman of the Kennedy Center board and then fired several others to appoint his own people. He then held a vote to affirm the name change, and within hours, they were installing the sign.
Now that the Trump name is slated to be jettisoned from the building, OK Magazine Executive Editor Rob Shuter reports orts big name acts are already making plans to return with shows, possibly including the producers of Hamilton.