Judge Orders Removal of Trump’s Name from Kennedy Center

A federal judge has ruled that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts must remove President Trump’s name from its facade and all official branding. The judge temporarily blocked the institution from closing this summer for renovations.

President Trump expressed anger over the ruling on social media, suggesting he might abandon the Kennedy Center as a personal project. In his post, he stated that he had no interest in continuing with the center unless he could direct its future.

Judge Christopher R. Cooper of the Federal District Court in Washington stated the board’s decision to add Trump’s name violated a 1964 law. This law made it clear that the center should be named for President John F. Kennedy. The judge noted that only Congress has the authority to change the center’s name.

The judge’s 94-page opinion required the removal of the 18 letters added to the center’s front within two weeks. The center’s board, mainly allies of Trump, had voted in December to add his name. This resulted in new lettering on the building, reading: ‘The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.’