Kennedy Center board seeks stay to keep Trump name on venue
The Kennedy Center’s board voted to request a stay of a federal judge’s order that would require removal of former President Donald Trump’s name from the facility by Friday.
The board of trustees at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted Thursday to seek a stay of U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper’s May 29 ruling that ordered the removal of former President Donald Trump’s name from the center’s façade. A source familiar with the private meeting said the formal request for a stay will be filed on Friday.
Judge Cooper had ruled that only Congress could change the center’s name and ordered that all references to Trump be removed by the deadline, also blocking a planned two-year renovation project.
The board’s action reverses a June 4 memo from the center’s Office of General Counsel that required staff to use the name “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” on official communications. The center’s website and recent email invitations have already omitted Trump’s name.
"I look forward to putting these distractions behind us and focusing on supporting the arts and the future of the Center," said Rep. Rick Larsen, a Democratic ex-officio board member who opposed seeking a stay.
Trump appointed the current board after removing the previous leadership early in his second term and naming himself chairman. The board later renamed the facility the Trump Kennedy Center and added his name to the building, a move scholars and lawmakers say requires congressional action.
The name change prompted a wave of resignations and withdrawals from artists, including actors, musicians and authors, and the departure of the National Symphony Orchestra’s executive director.
The board also approved a resolution praising Trump’s “commitment to uphold this cherished American institution.”
