A worker loads equipment on a flatbed truck outside The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Thursday, June 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Rahmat Gul)<\/small><\/p>\n
2026-06-04T21:20:12Z<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 The Kennedy Center is beginning the process of removing references to President Donald Trump<\/a><\/span> a week after a federal judge ruled that his name had been illegally added<\/a><\/span> to the performing arts center.<\/p>\n Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center\u2019s vice president of public relations, said in a statement to The Associated Press that \u201cwe are complying with the court\u2019s order while evaluating all legal options to preserve this revitalization and recognize President Trump\u2019s leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n In a Thursday memo to staff from the Kennedy Center\u2019s Office of General Counsel, the institution\u2019s lawyers said email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name as \u201cThe John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts\u201d or \u201cKennedy Center.\u201d<\/p>\n The changes, the memo said, must be completed by June 12. <\/p>\n In a May 29 decision<\/a><\/span>, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper also blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations that had been planned to start in July.<\/p>\n Hours after the ruling, Trump said he was backing away from the revamp and making arrangements to relinquish control to Congress of what, until the Republican president\u2019s second term, had been known as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.<\/p>\n The next day, Trump on social media branded Cooper as \u201can anti Trump Hater\u201d and predicted that the performing arts center that he wanted to shutter for a two-year overhaul<\/a><\/span> will \u201csoon be closed, probably never to open again.\u201d<\/p>\n