The Kennedy Center board told a federal judge on Thursday that it will halt efforts to add President Trump’s name to the building until at least October 8, delaying its plans by a month.
The announcement followed an emergency court hearing prompted by a Justice Department filing this week warning that the Kennedy Center could be demolished and potentially replaced with an outdoor amphitheater if the board is not allowed to close the building for two years for repairs. At the same time, the board is pushing to inscribe President Trump’s name on the front of the building, with the line “Restored and renovated by President Donald J. Trump” beneath John F. Kennedy’s name.
President Trump’s name was added to the front of the building in December 2025, but U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered it removed in May 2026, ruling that only Congress has the authority to change the center’s name. The name was ultimately removed in June, but the board defied Cooper’s ruling and announced it would rename the building. A tarp has blocked the façade since.
During Thursday’s two-hour hearing, CNN reports, Cooper repeatedly pressed Justice Department lawyers to explain why Trump’s name needed to be added as soon as September 8. Cooper, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, called the date arbitrary and said he was prepared to issue a temporary order barring any renaming of the building while the legal battle continues.
The Justice Department is arguing that Trump’s name should be added to the building to acknowledge his “ongoing” contributions to its upkeep. In a Monday court filing, the DOJ said Trump secured $258 million in congressional funding for capital restoration in 2025 and recruited donors to finance an endowment. His lawyers argued that his “efforts and prestige” provide the “sole hope for the Center’s financial survival and structural renewal,” and that without his involvement, the Kennedy Center will “continue to be in a financial and structural death spiral.”
The latest legal challenge was brought by Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty, an ex officio member of the center’s board who has led the months-long legal challenge against the DOJ. It argued that even if the court accepted Trump’s argument, renaming the Kennedy Center would violate congressional authority and Cooper’s prior order.
DOJ lawyer Brantley Mayers reportedly framed the government’s main argument around the need to add Trump’s name to the center to ensure continued private donations, prompting a swift rebuttal from Cooper: “What does that have to do with what Congress intended in the statutes?”
Cooper ruled earlier this year that the board violated federal law by renaming the venue “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” which Congress designated as a living memorial to Kennedy.
The center has also proposed naming its plaza after Trump and adding another reference to him if its endowment reaches $100 million. The administration argues that naming the plaza for Trump would not violate the laws designating the center as a memorial to Kennedy.
Cooper reportedly pushed back on the argument on Thursday, noting that the DOJ’s reasoning could allow the board to name the parking garage after former President Barack Obama or the campus after former President George W. Bush, effectively giving it broad authority to rename any part of the property.
“The whole thing would be for sale, basically — and that would be consistent with Congress’ overall scheme?” Cooper asked.
The DOJ offered no rebuttal.
