The Kennedy Centre in Washington has ordered staff to remove President Donald Trump’s name from the institution following a federal court ruling. This memo from the general counsel indicates the center is reversing a name change made by Trump last year.
Trump directed his administration to conduct a “complete transfer” of the center’s operations to Congress in response to the court decision. The memo, seen by Reuters, instructs staff to immediately update email signatures, letterhead, and other documents to reflect the name as ‘The John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts’ or ‘Kennedy Centre.’
Signage, brochures, and websites must be completed by June 12. In December, Trump added his name before Kennedy’s on the facade of the white marble building, leading to a lawsuit from Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, a member of the Kennedy Centre’s board.
On May 29, US District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the center cannot be renamed without an act of Congress and directed the Trump administration to remove all physical signage bearing Trump’s name and eliminate any references to a ‘Trump Kennedy Centre’ from official materials within 14 days. It is unclear when Trump’s name will physically be removed from the building.
The Kennedy Centre opened in 1971 as a memorial to the late president, who was assassinated in 1963. Its board voted in December to alter the center’s name to include Trump, who had replaced several board members and appointed himself a trustee. Trump’s plan to renovate the Kennedy Centre is part of a broader push to reshape Washington’s monumental core. On Thursday, he announced his administration’s plans to build a promenade to the Lincoln Memorial, erect a 250-foot arch, and construct a 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the site of the demolished East Wing of the White House.