The tarp hanging in front of The Kennedy Center remains as the battle to keep the illegal name change in tact.
The name was supposedly removed on June 13 after a judge’s order issued a June 12 deadline. The tarp erected as a safety measure to keep flying debris off of citizens remains, even though the name has supposedly been removed.
However, the court battle continues with appeals.
On July 8, the three judge panel The District of Columbia branch of the federal U.S. Court of Appeals denied a request from the Kennedy Center board to re-instate the name change while the board continues to appeal the ruling that adding a name to the Memorial that is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
In their ruling the judges wrote that the Borad of Trustees, “failed to show how they will be irreparably injured” if Trump’s name remains off the building through the appeal process.”
The Board claims that by removing the second name, it would hamper fundraising events. When a hostile takeover was made of the Kennedy Center in February 2025, artists, crews, and productions resigned and cancelled performances. When the name was changed in December, another round of cancellations occurred and ticket sales plummeted.
Last December the Kennedy Center Board voted to change the name of The Center to “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
The Kennedy Center was established by the United Stated Congress as a Memorial to President John F. Kennedy in 1971 who was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 23, 1963. Only Congress can make any changes to the name or The Center.